After meeting with the Fish and Wildlife Service, FEMA is reassessing whether Sapelo Island residents are eligible for disaster aid after Hurricane Irma. The barrier island was once ineligible for aid because it sits within a coastal barrier resource system, one of many such systems established by the Coastal Barrier Resources Preservation Act of 1982. But, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s office, Sapelo Island residents now qualify for individual assistance.