Weekly Update: Steady Progress Marks 2 Weeks Of Florida Recovery
More than 10,000 Apply with $8.4 Million Disbursed to Help Individuals and Households
Release Date: September 10, 2008
Release Number: 1785-031
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than half of Florida's counties are now getting help from state and federal disaster assistance programs following the severe weather and flooding brought by Tropical Storm Fay's record four landfalls last month.
More than 10,000 people have applied for assistance and more than 6,600 have visited Disaster Recovery Centers located statewide. Qualified homeowners, renters and business owners have received $8.4 million from FEMA's Individual and Households program.
Residents with disaster-related loss or damage in Brevard, Duval, Hendry, Lee, Leon, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Seminole, Volusia and Wakulla counties are eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Individual Assistance programs under a major disaster declaration and subsequent amendments.
In addition, 37 counties are now eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance program that reimburses local and state agencies and certain non-profit agencies for the expenses and damages that occurred during the response and recovery phase of the disaster. Clay, Flagler, Gulf, Highlands, Martin, Suwannee and Taylor counties were added earlier this week.
Public Assistance grants are awarded to help pay for emergency protective measures such as police overtime, debris clearance to open vital roads and rights-of-way, removal of threats to public safety and permanent repairs to roads, public buildings, utilities and parks.
A second week snapshot:
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As of close of business Sept. 9, a total of 10,553 individuals, households and businesses from the declared counties have applied for disaster assistance.
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Total assistance approved from FEMA's Individual and Households Program now stands at $8.62 million. Disbursed funds total $8.43 million or 98 percent of approved funding.
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The Individual and Households Program provides assistance in two main categories - Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance. FEMA approved funding to 2,621 applicants.
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Housing Assistance helps pay for emergency rental assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs. Nearly $7.5 million in Housing Assistance was disbursed to 2,059 households.
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Other Needs Assistance helps cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance to individuals and households. Other Needs Assistance funding was approved to 1,035 individuals, with $951,624 disbursed.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued 5,843 low-interest, disaster loan applications - 4,990 for homes and 832 to businesses. Those who have received the applications are urged to complete and return them as soon as possible.
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So far, the SBA has approved 31 low-interest disaster loans for homes and approved $631,100. Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses of any size and private non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets.
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Currently, nine Disaster Recovery Centers are open, with one scheduled to close this week in Clewiston. The centers provide a place for people to register for disaster assistance, talk with recovery specialists about their case, ask questions and learn about other programs that may be able to help.
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FEMA-contracted housing inspectors have completed more than 7,860 of 8,505 requests to view reported housing damage (92 percent). The average turnaround time from registration to inspection remains less than two days.
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Residents with disaster-related damage are urged to register by calling FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). The hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired may call the TTY number at 800-462-7585 to apply. Multilingual operators are available to speak to applicants. The toll-free telephone numbers are open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily until further notice. Applicants may also register online at www.fema.gov.
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When registering, applicants should have the following information readily available:
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Current and pre-disaster address;
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Current telephone numbers;
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Social Security number; and
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Insurance coverage, policy number(s) and agent's name if possible.
Registration takes about 20 minutes and once all essential information is recorded an application number is assigned.
Here's a county breakdown of programs and funding through Sept. 9:
| County | Date Declared | Applications COB 09-10-08 | IHP Eligible | Individual & Households Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brevard |
26-Aug |
4,308 |
1,275 |
$4,942,378 |
|
Duval |
31-Aug |
1101 |
139 |
$639,435 |
|
Hendry |
26-Aug |
352 |
42 |
$62,463 |
|
Lee |
2-Sep |
188 |
30 |
$75,797 |
|
Leon |
31-Aug |
380 |
93 |
$327,157 |
|
Okeechobee |
26-Aug |
381 |
89 |
$149,512 |
|
Seminole |
31-Aug |
858 |
235 |
$543,355 |
|
St. Lucie |
26-Aug |
1,739 |
355 |
$839,103 |
|
Volusia |
26-Aug |
1,281 |
339 |
$969,394 |
|
Wakulla |
31-Aug |
55 |
24 |
$71,612 |
|
Totals |
|
10,643 |
2,621 |
$8,620,206 |
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Thursday, 11-Sep-2008 09:38:38