Weekly Real Estate News
President Donald Trump approved federal emergency assistance for 76 Georgia counties Saturday as Hurricane Isaias moved inland, bringing damaging winds, downed trees and the threat of flooding across the Southeast.
The authorization covers emergency conditions beginning October 8 and permits the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal response resources. Eligible emergency protective measures are funded at a 75% federal share, but the authorization is limited to direct federal assistance, according to FEMA’s announcement as reported by WSB-TV.
That distinction matters for homeowners and mortgage servicers. The emergency declaration is not, on its own, an approval of FEMA Individual Assistance for households seeking money to repair damaged residences. Georgia’s emergency management agency explains that housing repair assistance depends on a separate declaration authorizing Individual Assistance.
Counties covered by the federal action include Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Gwinnett in metropolitan Atlanta, along with dozens of counties across north, central and southwest Georgia. The federal designation is narrower than the statewide emergency order Gov. Brian Kemp issued Thursday, which applied to all 159 counties. Kemp’s order activated preparations for severe weather and directed the state emergency operations center to open Friday afternoon.
In its Friday night hurricane statement, the National Weather Service warned that Isaias could bring damaging wind gusts, flash flooding and tornadoes to north and central Georgia. Saturated ground could increase the likelihood of falling trees and prolonged outages. By Saturday, local television reports documented trees falling across roads and residential neighborhoods.
For lenders, servicers and real estate professionals, the immediate operational questions are whether affected properties are accessible and habitable, whether closings and inspections can proceed, and whether borrowers need disaster-related servicing assistance. None of those consequences should be assumed from the county list alone; damage and eligibility must be assessed property by property.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that the president had also authorized emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama. Georgia’s federal assistance decision comes as the region begins assessing damage from the storm and monitoring continuing flood threats.
Image: NOAA satellite view of Hurricane Isaias over the northern Gulf Coast on October 9; not a photograph of damage in Georgia. Credit: CIRA/NOAA.
