Wednesday, December 10, 2025–9:20 a.m.
-News Release-
A $1.16 million federal grant, distributed through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, will be used to provide generator backups for water services during emergencies.
While the grant was awarded in November, GEMA representatives Monique McBride and Lucy Herring visited the Floyd County Emergency Management Agency headquarters on 12th Street on Tuesday to present the awards.
The funding will be used exclusively to purchase and install generators at sites throughout Floyd County. The project includes nine fixed-site generators and four portable units, all equipped with emergency transfer switches to ensure clean water can be pumped from county storage tanks during a power outage.
“Anything we can do right now, we will be able to continue to do when the power goes out,” Floyd County Water Department Assistant Administrator Troy Atkins said.
The water department has roughly 20 storage tank sites in the county. The sites for the fixed generators were chosen based on the number of customers and the critical impact on the community. Each contains enough water to supply county water customers for 72 hours.
The portable generators can be moved as needed to replenish tanks at other sites during extended outages.
“The generators will buy us some time,” Atkins said.
