$1 Billion In Public Assistance For Florida 2005 Recovery
Rebuilding funds flowing at improved, steady clip to cities and counties
Release Date: April 19, 2006
Release Number: LTR-06-024
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- In the six months since Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, more than $760 million in Public Assistance funds has been dispersed throughout communities affected by that storm, contributing to a total of $1 billion in Public Assistance funds that has reached city, county and state applicants for recovery from the 2005 storms, officials from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) announced today.
“The typical life-cycle of any disaster involves a quick response to provide for basic needs, followed by long-term, large-scale Public Assistance funding to help city and county governments get back on their feet,” said Scott R. Morris, FEMA’s director of Long-Term Recovery in Florida. “That large-scale effort is well underway throughout the areas impacted by Wilma.”
Through the Public Assistance program, FEMA grants state and local governments and eligible nonprofit agencies funds to repair or replace damaged roads and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and their contents, publicly owned utilities and parks and recreation areas. It also includes funds for emergency services and eligible debris-removal costs related to the disaster. For the 2005 hurricane season, FEMA reimburses the applicant 75 percent of the eligible cost. The state and/or applying agency covers the rest of the cost.
All levels of government have a role in getting the grant money to the applicant for Public Assistance projects. For every applicant, a team with one FEMA member and one state member shepherds the applicant’s project or projects through the process. The state is the grants manager and local officials must take an active role by requesting approved grant money from the state.
“Public Assistance projects rebuild local resources that touch the daily lives of all Floridians,” said Craig Fugate, director of Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We applaud the ongoing commitment by the state team and our federal partners to help Florida communities recover.”
Throughout the area affected by Wilma, more than 5,000 Public Assistance projects totaling $760 million have been funded so far, representing more than 80 percent of the estimated federal share of the Wilma recovery effort for city and county applicants. For overall hurricane season 2005 recovery, more than $1 billion in public assistance funds has reached Florida. This covers more than 8,400 projects and includes the responses to Hurricanes Dennis and Wilma, and also Katrina and Rita, where they impacted Florida.
Recovery officials credited improvements made to the Public Assistance process for the swift pace of recovery. In May 2005, FEMA opened a Long-Term Recovery Office (LTRO) in Orlando in response to Florida’s historic 2004 hurricane season. Its primary purpose was to take the lessons learned following the 2004 season – the greatest mobilization of response and recovery resources in FEMA’s history before Hurricane Katrina – and drive change in hurricane-recovery efforts. It sought to streamline the massive push to meet the needs of Florida communities after the 2004 storms and to establish an effective blueprint for future hurricane recovery efforts.
Creation of the LTRO resulted in a shift toward using long-term personnel, rather than temporary employees. This was particularly helpful in the area of Public Assistance, as it gave local and state officials permanent go-to contacts to help them through the process. And with billions of dollars in disaster assistance at stake, the SERT created, with FEMA's funding, an online solution – www.floridapa.org – that allows local, county and state officials to track their Public Assistance applications.
Delray Beach Finance Director Joseph Safford is a big supporter of the Web site. “It’s an excellent tool to keep everything organized,” said Safford. “The FEMA personnel we have been working with have been very experienced, cooperative and helpful.” Along with state and federal improvements, Safford credits the spreadsheet tools his office developed to track city property damage with helping speed the reimbursement process.
In 2005, FEMA returned to the practice of writing projects based on estimates to ensure that local governments have access to the federal resources they need as quickly as possible. This helps local governments meet their budget commitments.
Besides providing a framework for the 2005 hurricane season and beyond, the opening of the LTRO greatly hastened the speed with which Public Assistance projects from the 2004 storms were approved, as well. Average dollars sent per day to state and local governments in Florida for Public Assistance in the wake of the 2004 hurricanes more than tripled after the LTRO opened in May. To date, FEMA has sent more than $2.2 billion to Florida for more than 28,400 public-assistance projects related to the rebuilding after the 2004 storms.
FEMA recovery officials stressed that they will be in Florida for as long as it takes to fund every eligible expense.
Last Modified: Thursday, 04-May-2006 16:03:08