Sen. Scott Hurricane Helene UPDATED Resource Guide

From the Office of U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Florida, October 3, 2024

Resources, by County

To see a list of resources for each county, visit https://www.floridadisaster.org/counties/

Potential Disaster Relief Legislation

FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) damage assessments take time. Senator Scott is urging Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately reconvene the U.S. Senate when those assessments are completed to pass the clean supplemental disaster funding bill and other disaster relief legislation, like his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, to ensure the full recovery of families in all impacted communities. Read more at www.rickscott.senate.gov/2024/9/sen-rick-scott-once-fema-determines-need-senate-must-immediately-reconvene-to-vote-on-helene-aid-package.

Request to Issue a Disaster Declaration for USDA Block Grants

This week, Senator Scott, with a bipartisan group of Florida delegation colleagues wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, supporting the State of Florida’s request to issue a Disaster Declaration for Florida’s counties that were impacted by Hurricane Helene, urging him to make assistance available immediately in the form of state block grants to expedite support for Florida’s farmers and agricultural producers as they recover from the destructive impacts of the storm. Read more at www.rickscott.senate.gov/2024/10/sen-rick-scott-florida-colleagues-urge-usda-to-approve-disaster-declaration-request-issue-block-grants-to-recover-from-hurricane-helene.

Housing for Displaced Floridians

Thousands of Floridians are still without power, and many who evacuated their homes have returned to uninhabitable or destroyed homes. Housing for Floridians displaced by Helene must be top priority, so Senator Scott sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell requesting that FEMA coordinate closely with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on housing recovery. Read more at
www.rickscott.senate.gov/2024/10/sen-rick-scott-to-fema-housing-for-floridians-displaced-by-helene-must-be-top-priority.

If you need assistance with housing, please register for BOTH State and FEMA housing assistance through the below links:

To apply for State Housing Program, visit
hopeflorida.com/get-help/hurricanehelene.html
or call 1-833-GET-HOPE.

To apply for FEMA Housing Assistance, visit
www.disasterassistance.gov/
call 1-800-621-3362
or download and apply on the FEMA App; visit www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products

Hazards Present - Obey Local Law Enforcement

Please make sure you are listening to your local law enforcement. There are still many downed power lines and hazards, like standing water that can that can harm you—so stay vigilant. Your local leaders are on top of it and have already dispatched first responders to get everyone the help they need.

Additional Resources

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA Build a Kit: https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

FEMA Make A Plan: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan

FEMA Plan for Locations: https://www.ready.gov/plan-for-locations

FEMA Plan for Pets and Animals: https://www.ready.gov/pets

FEMA Evacuation: https://www.ready.gov/evacuating-yourself-and-your-family

FEMA Emergency Alerts: https://www.ready.gov/alerts

FEMA Flood Loss Avoidance Info: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/Loss_Avoidance_Fact_Sheet_Consumers_508.pdf

FEMA Hurricane Seasonal Preparedness Digital toolkit: https://www.ready.gov/hurricane-toolkit

FEMA Hurricane Information Sheet: https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/hurricane_information-sheet.pdf

FEMA Emergency Management Agencies: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies

FEMA Flood Mapping Portal: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/wps/portal

FEMA National Flood Insurance Program: https://www.floodsmart.gov

FEMA How to prepare for a Hurricane: https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/fema_how-to-prepare-for-hurricane.pdf

FEMA Recovering from Disaster: https://www.ready.gov/recovering-disaster

National Hurricane Center (NHC)

National Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

National Hurricane Center Marine Safety: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/marine.php

National Weather Service Hurricane Safety Tips and Resources: https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

HUD Hurricane Assistance and Recovery: https://www.hud.gov/hurricane

HUD Disaster Resources: https://www.hud.gov/info/disasterresources

HUD Mortgage Insurance for Disaster Victims: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/ins/203h-dft

HUD Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/203k

HUD Home Improvements info: https://www.hud.gov/topics/home_improvements

HUD Disaster Relief Options for FHA Homeowners: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/nsc/qaho0121

HUD Disaster Recovery Toolkit: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/housing-counseling/housing-counseling-disaster-recovery-toolkit/

HUD Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-dr

HUD Policy Development and Research Disaster Recovery Toolkit: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/disaster-recovery.html

Small Business Administration (SBA)

SBA Office of Disaster Assistance: https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/oda

SBA Disaster Loan Assistance: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance

SBA Prepare for emergencies: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/prep

SBA Hurricane Preparedness Checklist: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/SBA%20hazard%20checklist_Hurricane_V20_508as.pdf

Department of Labor (DOL)

Disaster Unemployment Assistance: https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/disaster.asp

Flood Recovery: https://www.dol.gov/general/disasterrecovery

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Disaster & Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/disaster-assistance-and-emergency-relief-for-individuals-and-businesses

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA Food & Water Safety: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

EPA Natural Disasters Preparedness: https://www.epa.gov/natural-disasters/hurricanes

FLORIDA Department of Economic Oppurtunity (DEO)

DEO Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program: https://deosera.force.com/RebuildFloridaBusinessLoanFund/s/

DEO Catastrophic Emergency Bridge Loan Application: https://deosera.force.com/RebuildFloridaBusinessLoanFund/s/

DEO Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Supplemental Documentation: https://deosera.force.com/RebuildFloridaBusinessLoanFund/s/

DEO Florida Small Business Development Centers: https://floridasb dc.org/find

Disaster Contractors Network: http://dcnonline.org

Social Media

FLSERT: https://x.com/FLSERT

NHC: https://x.com/NHC_Atlantic

FEMA Twitter accounts: https://twitter.com/fema/lists

FEMA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FEMA

Ready Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readygov

FEMA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fema/?hl=en

FEMA YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FEMA

FEMA LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/fema

Local Emergency Management X Accounts: https://twitter.com/fema/lists/local-em

State Emergency Management X Accounts: https://twitter.com/i/lists/19611141

Mobile Resources

FEMA mobile app: https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app

FEMA text messages: https://www.fema.gov/text-messages

FEMA mobile multimedia: https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products