On January 12th 2023 Meriwether County was hit by an EF 2 tornado leaving approximately 250 homes damaged and even some completely destroyed. Since then Meriwether County Government in partnership with several organizations have responded with food, water, blankets, cleanup kits and more.
On January 16th, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for 7 counties in Georgia including Meriwether. The declaration makes federal funding available to people in Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Spalding and Troup counties who were affected by storms and tornadoes. Federal financial assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help people recover from the effects of the disaster.
A FEMA disaster recovery center will open Tuesday, Jan.31 in Meriwether County to provide one-on-one assistance to people directly affected by the Jan. 12 severe storms, straight line winds and tornadoes. Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide information on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications. The disaster recovery center location is: West Georgia Technical College 17529 Roosevelt Hwy. Greenville, GA 30222 Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT – 7 days a week.