Georgia Senator Commits to Procuring More Hurricane Helene Relief Funds

Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock reaffirmed his commitment to procuring more disaster relief funds for Hurricane Helene during a press call on September 30 to mark the two year anniversary of the storm’s landfall.

“It’s been two years since Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia, killing dozens of people, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and forever changing the lives of countless Georgians,” said Senator Warnock.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Georgia on the night of September 26, 2024. In Georgia alone, the storm caused approximately $7.1 billion in damage and killed 37 Georgia residents.

Since the storm’s landfall, Senator Warnock has made a concerted bipartisan effort to deliver disaster relief funds to Georgia communities impacted by the storm. According to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), his efforts have delivered $2.2 billion to affected communities. Warnock’s office originally announced $1.6 billion in funds delivered, but the figure was updated by GEMA later in the day.

“Storms don’t ask, ‘Are you a Democrat or a Republican?’” said Warnock. “This is about basic human decency, and making sure that my constituents get the help they need, so I will continue to fight until communities across Georgia – particularly in rural Georgia – receive every dollar they need.”

Some Georgia communities, such as the city of Soperton, are nearing the end of their Helene cleanup operations.

“There’s still individual people that, you know, are having some issues with the insurance companies or with, you know, the government or whatever,” said Soperton’s mayor John Koon. “But for the city itself, I think we’re getting really close now to be able to say that chapter is gone.”

However, according to Warnock, the ability of Georgia communities to reach this same point varies, with some communities still recovering from the aftermath of 2018’s Hurricane Michael.

“That report card varies throughout the state,” said Warnock. “The truth is there are still parts of our state recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018, so these storms don’t wait on [the] government. They don’t wait for Congress to get its act together.”

Warnock’s efforts to acquire funds have faced issues regarding the current federal administration, such as issues with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to Warnock, FEMA was withholding $600 million in disaster relief funds, which he raised awareness of in December 2025.

“The administration was withholding funds, and I continued to push until we got something done,” said Warnock.

For another factor in the delays and disparity of funding, he pointed to cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative spearheaded by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He likened the “draconian cuts” to “a bull in a china shop.”

“We’ve seen cases in this administration where they literally will cut a whole department, not knowing the significance and expertise of the people who are in that department, and then literally had to go back and hire and rehire the people,” said Warnock. 

Senator Warnock did not specify where funding will go or how much left is needed to complete the state-wide Hurricane Helene response, instead saying the funds go towards “a lot of different buckets.”

“We need to close the books on this,” said Warnock. “We’re entering yet another season again, so I continue to work on this backlog.”