ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved a grant of $3,208,752 for the State of Florida to help the City of Lakeland defray the costs of repairs to the city’s electric power system after Hurricane Irma.
FEMA Public Assistance funds will reimburse the city’s utility department, Lakeland Electric, for costs incurred in permanently restoring electric service after the September 2017 storm. These include costs of labor, equipment, materials and contracts for Lakeland Electric and mutual aid through the Florida Municipal Electric Association.
The Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal, and local governments, and certain types of private nonprofit organizations, including some houses of worship, so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.
The federal share for Public Assistance projects is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The state determines how the nonfederal share of the cost of a project (up to 25 percent) is split with the subrecipients like local and county governments.