NATCHEZ — On Monday evening city and county officials got a bit of good news — Adams County was declared a disaster area.

The declaration means the city and county will be eligible for federal reimbursement for their clean-up costs associated with Hurricane Gustav.

Sen. Roger Wicker said he was pleased by the news.

“After spending a great deal of time on the Gulf Coast and in Southwest Mississippi immediately following Hurricane Gustav, it was clear this federal help was needed. I believe FEMA could have acted sooner to grant this assistance, but I am glad these federal funds will now be directed to areas in Mississippi that need them,” Wicker said.

Local officials were also pleased by the news.

Adams County Supervisor Darryl Grennell, like Wicker, said he thought the declaration would have happened sooner but was still glad that it did.

“I’m glad the president signed off on it,” he said. “It’s going to help the county.”