Floridians Continue To Apply For Disaster Aid
Release Date: December 8, 2004
Release Number: 1539-306
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Florida Individual Assistance County Data
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than 1,167,500 Florida homeowners, renters and business owners have applied for disaster assistance following Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, according to Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
To date, $2.87 billion in federal and state disaster aid has been approved since Hurricane Charley came ashore on August 13, 2004. That amount consists of grants to pay for certain storm related housing expenses and other serious needs, emergency measures undertaken, U.S. Small Business Administration loans and funds to reimburse communities for approved infrastructure repair or replacement costs. The following is a breakdown of the types of disaster aid and their respective dollar amounts:
- $1.16 billion was approved for emergency measures taken before, during and following the storms.
- More than $980 million was approved in federal and state assistance to homeowners and renters. Of that amount, grants totaling $461 million were approved to cover lodging expenses, minimal housing repair and rental assistance, and $519 million was approved to repair or replace essential personal property and other storm-related expenses.
- $545 million has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest loans to repair storm-damaged homes and businesses.
- Nearly $182 million has been obligated to help local governments and certain non-profit organizations repair or replace storm-damaged public infrastructure.
A county-by-county breakdown of individual disaster assistance is attached.
Disaster aid applicants who have questions related to their application and/or who have additional questions about the state and federal disaster aid programs should visit their nearest Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). There, applicants can meet face-to-face with federal and state disaster assistance officials and have their questions answered.
If anyone has sustained storm damage from one or more of this season’s hurricanes and has not registered for federal and state assistance, now is the time to do so. The deadline to register is December 31, 2004, just three weeks.
To register, simply call FEMA’s toll-free registration line, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing- and/or speech-impaired. The lines are operational everyday from 6 a.m. to midnight.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Monday, 13-Dec-2004 12:17:59