Obama Pledges Federal Aid for Hurricane-Hit Florida, Georgia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed disaster declarations for the states of Georgia and Florida, a move that comes with federal aid to help those states cope with the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

The hurricane blew through those states as well as North and Carolina last week before being downgraded to tropical storm on Sunday.

A White House statement says federal funding will be available to help state and local efforts.

Georgia counties targeted for the aid are Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh. In Florida, the counties are Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says damage surveys are continuing and more counties could be added to the list of those qualifying for additional aid.