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.

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