Governor Sonny Perdue said despite tough budget times, he will find the money in the state's coffers to help pay for repair costs of flood-damaged roads and bridges across the state.

Fourteen Georgia counties have now been approved to get federal dollars to finance the repair of infrastructure.

To get communities back to normal, "we'll do what it takes," said Perdue.

"These are not times where you count the dollars or fret about where they come from. It's just a matter of doing what it takes, keeping people safe, and helping people recover their lives."

To lock in federal money, the state must come up with a quarter of the total bill to match the federal share of 75%.

Perdue told GPB Tuesday he doesn’t yet know where that money will be found in the state budget. However, he doesn’t foresee recalling lawmakers for a special session to solve the problem, despite a depleted emergency fund.

State transportation officials say damage assessments will continue through the weekend and they hope to have a total cost for repairs the beginning of next week.

Perdue spoke at an event Tuesday to break ground on a nearly $18 million interchange project north of Atlanta along Georgia 400.

Tags: transportation, Governor Sonny Perdue, flooding, state budget, FEMA, repairs