MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded 10 grants totaling $28 million for projects in seven southern Alabama counties impacted by Hurricanes Sally and Zeta in 2020.
These awards under the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program will fund projects in Clarke, Dallas, Escambia, Marengo, Perry, Washington and Wilcox counties. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined these counties to be among the most impacted by the hurricanes. Baldwin County, Mobile County and the city of Mobile were awarded funds separately in 2025 for long-term hurricane recovery efforts.
“Hurricanes Sally and Zeta wreaked havoc on the coast as well as areas further inland, particularly in the southwestern area of the state,” Gov. Ivey said. “These grants will help the affected inland cities and counties continue their process of recovery, rebuilding and making infrastructure more resilient in severe weather.”
Some of the projects will replace infrastructure damaged in the storms, while others will address needs including drainage and housing. The grants will fund projects that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income residents.
Hurricane Sally made landfall in September 2020 on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The following month, Hurricane Zeta made landfall in Louisiana and then continued into Mississippi and Alabama.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by HUD.
“ADECA is pleased to join Gov. Ivey in support of these communities as they recover and shore up their defenses against future natural disasters,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
Below are the grant amounts and the projects being funded.
Clarke County – $2.05 million to replace a bridge on County Road 15 after flooding from the hurricanes revealed that the bridge was a potential hazard in heavy storms.
Dallas County – $2.95 million to replace or install drainage culverts at sites throughout the county. These sites have been determined to be the ones most susceptible to flooding during extreme weather.
Dallas County – $5 million to redevelop the George Washington Carver Public Housing Development in Selma. This 216-unit development surrounds the historic Brown’s Chapel AME Church, an iconic civil rights site visited by thousands each year during the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. Repeated natural disasters over the last two decades have contributed to deterioration of the housing. The new housing units will be built to better withstand flooding, storms and other disasters.
Escambia County – $1.3 million to replace a bridge on County Road 67. The bridge was damaged during Hurricane Sally and has been deemed vulnerable to further damage during future weather events.
Marengo County – $2.79 million to extend public water service to the McKinley community. Many households rely on shallow wells for water, raising the risk of contamination during and after severe storms.
Perry County – $1.05 million to improve drainage along County Road 53. After the storms, it was determined that the culverts beneath the road were undersized and aging and that roadside ditches are experiencing erosion.
Washington County – $3 million to replace a bridge on Luke Rivers Road. The current bridge over Bilbo Creek frequently floods, and severe weather can lead to the road being closed for several days.
Washington County – $3 million to construct three quadplex residential buildings for a total of 12 units within the service area of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians tribe. This development is intended to be storm-resilient and replace existing substandard and overcrowded housing.
Wilcox County – $2.1 million to improve drainage along County Road 31. Heavy rains have led to road instability, disrupting school bus routes, farm-to-market traffic and emergency response.
City of Uniontown – $5 million to construct 24 single-family rental housing units in this city in Perry County. These units will provide new housing on city-owned parcels where a housing development once stood. The existing housing in the city includes structures that may not be able to withstand severe weather, including manufactured and mobile homes.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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