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Update: More Florida Counties Eligible for FEMA Aid

Hurricane Ian ravaged the Florida coast in September, but outside of the area of immediate landfall damage was done across the state. But today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that homeowners in four additional counties are eligible to apply for a piece of federal aid. 

Originally, FEMA made individual assistance to 20 counties in Florida (Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia), but that number was increased today as FEMA added Brevard, Hendry, Monroe, and Okeechobee counties, bringing the total number of counties that qualify for aid to 24 of the 67 counties in the state. 

Affected homeowners are encouraged to apply for aid. To help residents on the ground, FEMA opened a physical Disaster Recovery Center in Volusia County, along with Disaster Survivor Assistance Specialists going door-to-door. There are now 11 Disaster Recovery Centers in the affected area. 

The funds can also be used to pay for hotels and motels for eligible survivors through a joint FEMA program called the Transitional Shelter Assistance Program. As of October 14, the program is funding temporary housing for 2,088 households. 

FEMA inspectors have also been busy and have now completed about 39,000 inspections in the disaster area. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $20 million in low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and business owners. 

As of Oct. 11, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has received more than 35,000 flood insurance claims and paid more than $33 million to policyholders, including $23.9 million in advance payments. 

Click here to read the announcement in its entirety. 

About Author: Kyle G. Horst

Kyle G. Horst is a reporter for DS News and MReport. A graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler, he has worked for a number of daily, weekly, and monthly publications in South Dakota and Texas. With more than 10 years of experience in community journalism, he has won a number of state, national, and international awards for his writing and photography including best newspaper design by the Associated Press Managing Editors Group and the international iPhone photographer of the year by the iPhone Photography Awards. He most recently worked as editor of Community Impact Newspaper covering a number of Dallas-Ft. Worth communities on a hyperlocal level. Contact Kyle G. at [email protected].
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