Hurricane Erin Remembered: Storm Hit Wide Areas Of Florida In August '95
Release Date: August 2, 2000
Release Number: R4-00-10
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Five years ago this week, Hurricane Erin swirled out of the Atlantic near Melbourne, Florida, sliced rapidly across the heart of the peninsula on August 2nd and sped across the Gulf of Mexico toward a second damaging landfall on the westernmost Florida Panhandle less than 12 hours later.
During Erin's short span on land, the storm's 75 mph winds and torrential rains left a broad residue of storm debris, seriously impacted public infrastructure, caused considerable flooding, and damaged the homes and businesses of several thousand residents. Brevard and Escambia counties, where the Category I storm made its two landfalls, suffered the greatest losses.
The President declared 13 counties in the state eligible for various forms of federal disaster assistance including reimbursement for debris removal and emergency protective measures. Six of the hardest-hit counties, Bay, Brevard, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton were declared eligible for aid to individuals, families, and business owners.
As more damage information surfaced, eleven other Florida counties were declared eligible for public assistance. In sum, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would spend more than $40 million in 24 counties throughout the state to fund recovery operations in the storm's aftermath.
The federal share of the wide-ranging disaster relief effort included more than $2.7 million for emergency housing, $1.4 million in family grants, $12.7 million in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and $23.1 million to repair or replace damaged public facilities and infrastructure. An additional $4.8 million in Hazard Mitigation federal funding has been obligated to provide long-term risk-reduction measures in the affected areas.
"The speed and path of Hurricane Erin remind us how quickly storms can harm different areas," said Joseph Myers, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). "With its entire population vulnerable to tropical storms, Florida has taken the lead in insisting that every community institute a disaster prevention plan."
FEMA Regional Director John B. Copenhaver used the anniversary to cite risk-reduction efforts in the state. "We are aggressively enlisting the participation of everyone across the state to make their homes and communities more disaster-resistant," said Copenhaver. The official noted that the Escambia/Pensacola region, sustaining almost $15 million in Hurricane Erin damage, became the second Florida community to join FEMA's Project Impact.
Project Impact is a national initiative to develop public/private sector partnerships focused on creating community-wide solutions to reducing disaster losses. Deerfield Beach and the Tampa Bay region are the other Florida communities nominated by the state that have joined the program since its inception in November 1997.
The following table provides disaster assistance totals for the six hardest-hit counties:
| Hurricane Erin [6 Counties Declared IA-PA-HMGP] - August 1995 Florida DR-1062 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Housing | Appl Appvd | Individual & Family Grants | Appl Appvd | SBA Loans | Appl Appvd | Sub-Total I/A (Inc SBA) | Public Assistance | Total |
| Bay | $17,643 | 15 | $2,829 | 5 | $20,700 | 1 | $41,172 | $187,163 | $228,335 |
| Brevard | $827,259 | 484 | $267,645 | 163 | $5,484,700 | 239 | $6,579,604 | $5,501,279 | $12,080,883 |
| Escambia | $902,452 | 790 | $648,060 | 503 | $3,129,000 | 210 | $4,679,512 | $10,119,090 | $14,798,602 |
| Okaloosa | $145,889 | 100 | $81,237 | 46 | $1,828,300 | 36 | $2,055,426 | $1,150,543 | $3,205,969 |
| Santa Rosa | $892,232 | 596 | $474,577 | 297 | $2,270,800 | 133 | $3,637,609 | $3,266,294 | $6,903,903 |
| Walton | $9,606 | 6 | $7,482 | 5 | $58,600 | 7 | $75,688 | $64,634 | $140,322 |
| Totals | $2,795,081 | 1191 | $1,481,830 | 1019 | $12,792,100 | 626 | $17,069,011 | $20,289,003 | $37,358,014 |
KEY: IA: Individual Assistance (Housing, Grants, SBA)
PA: Public Assistance (Infrastructure, Debris Removal, Emergency Protective Measures)
NOT included in table: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (Risk-reduction Measures)
Public Assistance/HMGP funding: other PA declared counties
Last Modified: Tuesday, 18-Nov-2003 16:07:36