President Bush declared portions of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi disaster areas on Sunday because of Hurricane Dennis. The declaration makes them eligible for a variety of federal assistance,
administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Additionally, federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis in the following counties.

There were 38 counties declared in Mississippi: Attala, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Lowndes, Madison, Monroe, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Perry, Pontotoc, Rankin, Scott, Smith, Stone, Wayne, Webster and Winston.