Tybee Island hurricane recovery costs rise to $3.4 million
This visible image from NOAA's GOES-East satellite shows the location of Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Credits: NASA/NOAA GOES Project
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Tybee Island officials have set a cap at $3.4 million for costs to fund the city's recovery from Hurricane Matthew.
The expense, which reflects everything the city must pay up front before the bulk of its efforts are reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, will be funded with the city's reserves.
Councilman John Major, who has kept a running tally on the city's storm costs, tells the Savannah Morning News on Thursday that the budget the city approved this week included more than $900,000 in monitoring services for debris removal, a requirement for the city to receive state and federal reimbursement.
Major said another $1.5 million will cover the actual costs to remove storm debris and other hurricane-damaged household items.