On September 29th, one day after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Southwest Florida coast, President Biden officially declared that a major disaster has occurred in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in all areas affected by the Category 4 Hurricane. This means that Federal funding is available to individuals and communities within the counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota.
The official declaration states: "Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster." In addition, funding is also available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal in those same counties, and emergency protective measures statewide. Assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, is authorized at 100% of the total eligible costs for a period of 30 days from the start of the incident period and assistance is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Metric Consulting proudly stands ready to assist local governments through the entire recovery process and any efforts to plan for a more resilient future. Our thoughts are with those affected by this major disaster. We are Florida Strong. For more information regarding Hurricane Ian, please click here to visit the FEMA website.