Homeowners And Renters Have A Variety Of Assistance Programs To Choose From 

Release Date: October 3, 2004
Release Number: 1539-165

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Homeowners and renters who sustained hurricane and/or flooding damage and who are located in one of Florida’s 67 disaster-declared counties have a variety of disaster assistance programs from which to choose.

Storm victims are urged to call the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) toll-free registration number-1-800-621-FEMA (3362)-to apply for assistance. Even those with insurance should call, as often the homeowner or renter later learns he or she is underinsured. The speech or hearing impaired may call TTY 1-800-462-7585.

The following is an overview of FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which provides financial and/or direct assistance to storm victims who have necessary disaster-related expenses and/or other serious needs that are not provided for elsewhere.

Under the IHP, applicants may be eligible to receive Housing Assistance and/or Other Needs Assistance.

Housing Assistance may be provided to address the applicants’ eligible disaster-related housing needs. This assistance may fall into the following four categories:

Temporary Housing: Assistance may be provided to rent a different place to live or a temporary housing unit may be provided when other housing resources are not available.

Repair: Homeowners may be eligible for Repair Assistance to repair damage resulting from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. As a condition of receiving Repair Assistance, flood insurance may be required if the property is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area. This assistance may address, but is not limited to:

  • Structural parts of a home
  • Septic or sewage system
  • Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system
  • Entrance and exit ways from the home
  • Windows, doors, floors, walls, ceilings, cabinetry
  • Well or other water system
  • Utilities (electrical, plumbing, and gas systems)
  • Blocking, leveling and anchoring of a mobile home and reconnecting or resetting its sewer, water, electrical and fuel lines and tanks

Replacement: Under rare conditions, funds may be available to replace a disaster-damaged home, if this can be done with limited funds.

Permanent Housing Construction: On island and remote areas, direct assistance or funds may be available for the construction of a home.

Other Needs Assistance (ONA): Assistance may be provided for uninsured or under-insured disaster related necessary expenses and serious needs. For example, this assistance may include but again not limited to:

Although the federal and state disaster assistance program is comprehensive, such assistance is designed to provide the victim with a “helping hand” to recovery. The program is not designed to make the victim “whole” again, or to return him or her to their pre-disaster status.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief efforts.

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: Wednesday, 06-Oct-2004 16:56:50