Ellington

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — More than $18.3 million in federal funding has been approved for disaster mitigation programs in south Mississippi.

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. says in a news release $15.3 million is for the Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula and $1.27 million is for a special medical needs shelter in Stone County.

Singing River Hospital project will hardening the exteriors of its buildings to withstand 150 mph winds. The FEMA grant covers 95 percent of the cost.

The Stone County facility will serve patients from Stone, Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, George and Pearl River counties at the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and Mississippi Highway 26.

Cochran says the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will receive $1.93 million to support the retrofit of state-owned and occupied buildings in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties.