WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., today announced a $1.78 million federal grant to support continued work in Louisville and Winston County to replace tornado-damaged health care facilities.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance grant to the Winston County Medical Foundation will support the replacement of four buildings and fund other repairs at the Winston County Medical Complex, which sustained major tornado damage on April 28, 2014.

“Progress has been made since last year’s devastating tornado touched down in Winston County,” Wicker said. “These FEMA funds build on that progress by reaffirming our shared commitment to restoring the area’s critical health-care facilities. I am pleased that the state and the federal government continue to work closely together to rebuild the communities impacted by the storm.”

“Winston County leaders continue to work toward improving community health care facilities and the services they offer to residents. I appreciate efforts by FEMA to support this work and to help Louisville and Winston County rebound after that deadly 2014 storm,” said Cochran, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is the senior Republican on the subcommittee that recommends funding for the FEMA disaster relief fund.

The FEMA grant represents a 75 percent share of the total cost of this phase of Winston County’s recovery effort, which is $2.38 million. State and local resources will be required to meet the remaining 25 percent cost-share.

This new grant is part of a broader effort to replace damaged county medical facilities in Louisville, an effort that is projected to cost $32.6 million. FEMA is expected to provide an estimated $10.8 million, 75 percent of eligible costs not covered by the county’s insurance policies.

The EF-4 tornado that tore through East Central Mississippi in April 2014 made a direct hit on the Winston County Medical Center, causing major damage to its main facility, a 120-bed nursing home, dialysis center and outpatient surgery center. The Winston County Medical Foundation has applied for FEMA public assistance funds to repair the existing nursing home building and redesign the hospital campus.

FEMA Public Assistant Grants provide supplemental disaster assistance to state, local and tribal governments, and certain types of private, nonprofit organizations for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities.