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Disaster Response

HURRICANES HELENE AND MILTON RESOURCES

Florida has secured approval of a major disaster declaration for Hurricanes Helene and Milton from FEMA. The declaration includes Individual Assistance and Public Assistance (Categories A for debris removal and B for emergency protective measures).

Hurricane Milton

Individual Assistance, which is assistance to residents and households, is available for Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia counties and Miccosukee Indian Reservation.

Public Assistance, which is available for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities, is available for Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia  counties and Miccosukee Indian Reservation for debris removal. 

Public Assistance is available for Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Volusia counties and Miccosukee Indian Reservation for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. 

Hurricane Helene

Individual Assistance, which is assistance to residents and households, is available for Alachua, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, Taylor, Union and Wakulla counties. 

Public Assistance, which is available for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities, is available for Alachua, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Wakulla counties for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance. 

Resources for Hurricanes Helene and Milton
  • Hurricane Recovery with FEMA webinar - FNA hosted a webinar with FEMA about hurricane recovery assistance. 
  • FEMA Individual Assistance is available to individuals and households in need of financial and direct services who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs. Impacted individuals with insurance are encouraged to apply. See above for the eligible counties. Individuals can apply in multiple ways:
  • FEMA Grants for Nonprofits and Governments
  • FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locator - find the closest recovery center to you

  • Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) is available for both storms. Displaced residents may be eligible for a hotel room at no cost to the household, with funding from FEMA. In order to be eligible, residents must be eligible for Individual Assistance (IA). They must also update their current location according to their current situation. The program is currently geofenced to include hotel rooms in FL, AL, and GA (all counties in each state are eligible for transitional shelter stays). The current cap on cost for the hotel is 200% of the General Services Administration (GSA) rate.

  • Operation Blue Roof, a free tarping service for homeowners and permanently occupied rental properties, is now available in 25 counties listed below.  It provides fiber-reinforced, industrial-strength sheeting to protect storm-damaged roofs until homeowners can make permanent repairs.  Visit https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Operations/Blue-Roof-Info/ or 888-766-3258. Homeowners who wish to apply must complete a right-of-entry (ROE) form to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and its contractors to access the property. Before calling to request service, please encourage affected residents to talk to their insurance companies, as tarping can sometimes do further damage to the roof, which can complicate claims. The deadline to register is 11/5/24. 

Eligible counties: Brevard, Citrus, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Manatee, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia.

  • Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) provide disaster-relief employment, as well as employment and training services to minimize the impact of large, unexpected emergencies and natural disasters causing significant job losses. Disaster Recovery DWGs create temporary employment opportunities to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts and provide humanitarian assistance in impacted areas. The funding may also be used to temporarily expand capacity to serve dislocated workers and meet the increased demand for employment and training services, thus enhancing their employability and earnings.

Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) in areas covered by the Disaster/Emergency Declaration are responsible for Disaster Recovery DWG program administration and service delivery, including but not limited to:

    • Working with local governmental and other agencies to assess the need for temporary disaster-relief workers and developing worksite agreements to address these needs;
    • Working with local employers to address talent needs in the wake of the disaster/emergency; and
    • Conducting outreach and eligibility determination of individuals applying for workforce services and providing eligible participants appropriate grant services.

Contact your Local CareerSource Florida Network Directory for more information.