Nov. 10 Deadline Nears: Disaster Assistance in Florida Tops $24 Million
Release Date: November 7, 2008
Release Number: 1785-086
» More Information on Florida Tropical Storm Fay
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than $24 million in disaster grants and low-interest loans has been approved for homeowners, renters and business owners who suffered damages during Tropical Storm Fay, as the Monday, Nov. 10, registration deadline for disaster assistance comes to a close.
Residents in 27 designated counties can still apply for a wide range of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), State Emergency Response Team (SERT) and other federal disaster assistance programs. The counties include: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Clay, Collier, Duval, Gadsden, Glades, Hendry, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Polk, Seminole, St. Lucie, Taylor, Volusia and Wakulla counties.
To apply for disaster assistance call 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 daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and also serve as FEMA's Helpline number for those who have applied and want to stay in touch with FEMA. Register online at www.fema.gov.
FEMA and state officials said since the Aug. 24 presidential declaration, more than $15.4 million has been distributed to 4,843 approved individual and household applicants. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster-related loans to homeowners, renters and businesses now total approximately $9.3 million.
In addition, 41 Florida counties were designated eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance program (PA)
to help reimburse local governments, eligible state agencies and certain qualified non-profits for uninsured disaster-related infrastructure costs. To date, 204 project worksheets for PA (Infrastructure) have been submitted by applicants including state and local governments. Each worksheet spells out the project's purpose, cost, timeline and other information. An applicant may have a number of projects debris removal, emergency protective services, roads, bridges, public parks, etc. Approved PA projects are funded on a cost-share basis, with FEMA funding 75 percent of the approved reimbursement and the remaining 25 percent shared by the state and local governments.
Disaster snapshot: Note* (figures from Thursday, Nov. 6)
- A total of 18,429 individuals, households have applied for disaster assistance.
- Total assistance, including FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP) and low-interest disaster loans from the SBA, now stands at $24,770,991, reflecting the following breakdown by program:
- FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP) has approved grants for 4,843 applicants totaling $15,321,570.
- Housing Assistance helps pay for rental assistance, temporary lodging and housing repairs. As of yesterday, 3,898 homeowners and renters were approved for $13,453,539.
- Other Needs Assistance helps individuals and households cover personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance. Grants totaling more than $1,890,424 have gone to 1,896 individuals and households.
- The SBA provides disaster loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes. To date renters, homeowners and businesses have been approved for approximately $9,316,000 in disaster loans.
- During disaster outreach efforts, 35 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) provided face-to-face customer service to 14,480 residents from the designated counties.
- FEMA-contracted housing inspectors have completed 14,863 of 15,077 requests to view reported housing damages or 98.6 percent. Turnaround time from registration to inspection averages about three to four days. Nineteen inspectors remain in the field completing inspections.
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) recorded 374 applicant claims filed for the state-managed, FEMA-funded program. DUA provides benefits for workers who would not normally qualify for unemployment compensation, including farmers, farm workers, diversified farming operators, loggers, commission-paid employees, those who are self-employed and others who are not eligible for the state's program.
Below listed is FEMA's Individuals and Households program assistance by county:
| Designated County |
Applications for Assistance | Housing Assistance | Other Needs Assistance | DRC Visitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | 114 | $28,481.48 | $6,217.68 | 17 |
| Baker | 88 | $101,733.31 | $3,618.44 | 13 |
| Bradford | 234 | $17,977.50 | $2,053.81 | 213 |
| Brevard | 5,182 | $5,820,769.94 | $717,885.87 | 4,470 |
| Clay | 162 | $39,972.32 | $407.18 | 132 |
| Collier | 56 | $14,387.47 | $5,123.04 | 5 |
| Duval | 2,397 | $1,051,673.39 | $176,758.58 | 642 |
| Gadsden | 205 | $129,485.51 | $19,611.58 | 22 |
| Glades | 151 | $63,248.42 | $9,430.92 | 145 |
| Hendry | 471 | $134,785.73 | $6,820.17 | 533 |
| Jefferson | 87 | $145,412.05 | $18,991.11 | 34 |
| Lake | 262 | $86,444.36 | $9,989.32 | 257 |
| Lee | 298 | $393,057.25 | $56,823.88 | 469 |
| Leon | 554 | $492,433.24 | $50,930.76 | 173 |
| Liberty | 17 | $42,957.99 | $9,277.12 | 10 |
| Madison | 232 | $53,440.14 | $10,373.45 | 209 |
| Marion | 170 | $91,268.30 | $5,606.45 | 15 |
| Martin | 286 | $135,310.67 | $22,423.62 | 213 |
| Nassau | 215 | $352,958.23 | $20,779.66 | 188 |
| Okeechobee | 508 | $260,604.57 | $45,304.51 | 295 |
| Orange | 398 | $131,331.97 | $21,285.95 | 3 |
| Polk | 82 | $19,606.21 | $4,252.89 | 1 |
| Seminole | 1,407 | $1,031,769.25 | $149,371.58 | 1,000 |
| St. Lucie | 2,498 | $936,051.81 | $272,554.53 | 2,733 |
| Taylor | 61 | $21,411.68 | $4,513.61 | 35 |
| Volusia | 1,792 | $1,751,152.04 | $200,907.54 | 2,613 |
| Wakulla | 89 | $105,814.90 | $16,717.97 | 46 |
| Totals | 18,429 | $13,453,539.73 | $1,868,031.22 | 14,480 |
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: Friday, 07-Nov-2008 16:21:18