The federal government has added another Georgia county to the Presidential Disaster Declaration List after tornadoes earlier this month. The declaration makes Hancock County in central Georgia eligible for federal and state public assistance programs. Those programs help offset the cost of emergency response and debris removal from storms that rolled through the county March 1st. Damage in Hancock County consisted mostly of downed trees that blocked mail delivery and emergency vehicles. According to officials with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, financial compensation to the county is based on the number of residents. Damage must exceed three dollars and five cents per county resident. The most recent census lists Hancock County’s population as 9,643. That means the county has more than $29,000 dollars worth of damage.
