Contact:
Jay Lamar, Hurricane Michael Grant Coordinator
jay.lamar1@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-399-0957
July 21, 2021
ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION
ANNOUNCES GRANT PROGRAM
FOR HURRICANE MICHAEL DAMAGES
(Montgomery,
Ala.) In 2018, Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, had catastrophic impact
in the Alabama counties of Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Mobile County. In
addition to destroying personal property, businesses and homes, Hurricane Michael
also affected historic properties in these areas.
Starting
July 12, the Alabama Historical Commission (AHC), the state’s historic
preservation office, with assistance provided by the National Park Service and
the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund, began to accept
applications from historic properties that sustained damage from Hurricane
Michael.
Hurricane
Michael Recovery Grants are designated for stabilization and repair of
properties that are listed in or determined eligible for listing in the
National Register of Historic Places. The maximum award is $250,000. Projects
must be complete by August 2023. Part 1 of the two-step application requests information
about the property that will be used by AHC to determine National Register
eligibility. The deadline for Step 1 applications is October 1, 2021. For
approved properties, the second step requires documentation of damage and
repairs either made or proposed. AHC staff will provide assistance with both
steps.
“The
protection and preservation of historic places is central to the mission of the
Alabama Historical Commission,” said Lisa D. Jones, Executive Director of AHC
and State Historic Preservation Officer. “This grant program provides essential
assistance for property owners working to restore historic structures impacted
by Hurricane Michael. Assisting these communities in their recovery from a
natural disaster helps to preserve what makes them unique.”
Hurricane
Michael, first designated by the National Weather Service as a “high-end”
Category 4 storm and later upgraded to a Category 5, made landfall near Mexico
Beach, Florida, on Sunday, October 7, 2018. Over the next three days it devastated
the Florida Panhandle and parts of Georgia and Alabama. Heavy rainfall, extreme
winds and flooding, including storm surges of more than 10 feet, caused
catastrophic damage to homes, businesses, agriculture and timber. News reports
have described Michael as “history-making” – the strongest October hurricane to
hit the U.S. in recorded history and the third-largest hurricane in terms of
pressure to strike the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane in 1935 and
Hurricane Camille in 1969.
For
more information about the grants, eligibility and the application process, visit
the AHC website at https://ahc.alabama.gov/hurricanemichaelgrants.aspx
or
contact Jay Lamar at 334-399-0957, jay.lamar1@ahc.alabama.gov. Public meetings regarding the
grant program will be scheduled this spring as COVID-19 conditions allow.
About
the Alabama Historical Commission
Located
in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry
Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation
agency. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with
a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC
works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation
and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and
statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns and cities with local
preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned
and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov.
###