Lafayette County gets $11.3 million in FEMA storm cleanup reimbursement

Lafayette County will get $11.3 million back from FEMA to cover storm debris removal, the largest share of more than $13 million approved for nine Mississippi recovery projects. The money is meant to reimburse cleanup work already done after the February ice storm, when trees, limbs and other debris clogged roadsides, neighborhoods and public rights of way across the county.

FEMA announced the package on June 16. The package supported recovery projects in Mississippi communities hit by the severe winter storms in February 2026 and by past disasters. Along with Lafayette County, the same round included $451,254 for Marshall County, $312,238 for New Albany Light, Gas, & Water, $178,000 for Southwest MS Electric Power Association and $106,206 for Tishomingo County.

By March 18, debris-removal costs in Lafayette County had climbed past $20 million, and county officials later raised the not-to-exceed limit for Looks Great Services from $20 million to $35 million as the work continued. Sean Hunt, who has been handling the cleanup effort for the contractor, told the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors that Looks Great Services had completed about 85 percent of its first pass along county roads. Roughly 100 trucks were moving three to four hundred loads a day to a temporary staging site in Abbeville.

The county was already in full storm-response mode before the worst of the damage had even settled. On February 2, the Lafayette County Solid Waste Department ran all trucks daily that week, added Wednesday as an extra pickup day and kept Saturday available if needed. The need was driven by a storm that left heavy damage across the county, from fallen trees and damaged shoulders to blocked access points and scattered debris in rural areas.

The reimbursement follows President Donald J. Trump’s February 6 major disaster declaration for Mississippi, tied to the severe winter storm that hit January 23-27. On February 17, FEMA made 18 Mississippi counties eligible for all categories of Public Assistance, opening the door to reimbursement for debris removal and permanent work on public facilities. In Lafayette County, Sheriff Joey East said deputies handled more than 4,300 calls for service during an 18-day ice storm period.