Panhandle Residents Approved
Release Date: October 22, 2004
Release Number: 1551-097
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Ivan
ORLANDO, Fla. -- More than 122,600 Florida Panhandle residents have applied for federal and state disaster assistance since Hurricane Ivan struck on Sept.16, 2004. To date those residents have been approved for $92.5 million in individual disaster assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT).
Of the $92.5 million approved, $47.2 million was approved for housing assistance, which includes such assistance as lodging expense reimbursement, rental assistance and home repair, and $45.3 million approved for reimbursement of such expenses as medical, dental and funeral costs, transportation costs and other related needs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $27 million in low-interest disaster loans.
These figures are for grants to individuals, renters and business owners only, and do not include funds spent on emergency measures nor assistance to local governments (infrastructure) and certain essential private non-profit organizations.
An additional $228.2 million in emergency services has been provided to the area struck by Ivan. These services include water, ice, security, and other emergency services needed in a disaster.
FEMA and the State of Florida have provided 97,700 tarps and 24,713 plastic sheeting for temporary repair to hurricane-damaged roofs.
Thus far, 7,148 National Flood Insurance Program claims have been received from residents of Northwest Florida.
There are currently 139 requests under consideration for public assistance to local governments and certain private non-profit organizations.
Experience indicates some seniors may hesitate to complete an application form for an SBA low-interest loan, but they must do so to keep the door open for other types of assistance. If a loan is not appropriate, the applicant may be referred to the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) grant program - but only after being declined by SBA. They cannot apply directly to the ONA program. Therefore, those who do not complete an SBA loan application may be disqualifying themselves from other types of assistance. The applicant is not obligated to take an SBA loan if approved, but if the loan is offered and refused, there is no referral to grant programs.
The counties declared eligible to receive disaster aid by President Bush on September 17th, following Hurricane Ivan, are Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.
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: Friday, 22-Oct-2004 17:18:53