FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Florida to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Idalia beginning on Aug. 27, 2023, and continuing.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners jumpstart their recovery.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
Federal funding is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor. Additionally, this funding will be available at 100% of the eligible total costs for a period of 30 days of the state’s choosing within the first 120 days from the start of the incident period.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Brett H. Howard has been named Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.