The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this week that it will award the City of Savannah $9.2 million for debris removal resulting from Hurricane Matthew.

The announcement comes after rigorous efforts led by Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (GA-01), in conjunction with city and county officials, to address debris removal and secure the approval.

Carter also announced that Chatham County will receive $10.7 million in federal funding to be used for debris removal.

"This is great and long overdue news for our community," said Carter. "The funding will save local taxpayer dollars by tapping federal emergency response dollars rather than saddling local property owners and the local government with the hefty price tag of clean up. It was a hard-fought battle and I am thrilled our community is finally going to receive this critical assistance as the recovery from Hurricane Matthew continues."

“I would like to thank Rep. Carter, FEMA, and all our federal elected officials for their help in this effort,” said Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach. “These funds will go a long way to easing the burden of the cleanup from Hurricane Matthew on our city and residents.”