Two Mississippi coastal counties will receive $5 million to reimburse them for expenses related to Hurricane Katrina, the state’s two U.S. senators said Thursday.

“It’s very important that we continue seeking federal reimbursements for public entities which were damaged by the hurricane or which were charged with emergency services vital to the initial relief and recovery effort,” Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said in news release.

In the same release, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said it was vital to the state’s long-term economic recovery that “the federal government’s commitment to rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina does not diminish.”

The federal funds included $2.7 million to Pearl River County for repair of a public building that suffered extensive damage during the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane.

Katrina damaged the roof of the Chimney Square administrative building in Picayune, allowing rain water to saturate the building and its contents.

Another $2.4 million goes to Harrison County to pay for emergency response services.