PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sept. 16, 2021 marked one year since Hurricane Sally made landfall near the Florida and Alabama border, devastating Florida’s western Panhandle with winds of more than 100 mph, storm surge and torrential rainfall causing catastrophic flooding along the Gulf Coast.
When damage assessments were completed, residents, businesses, local governments and qualifying nonprofits in 14 Florida counties were eligible to register for FEMA assistance. A major disaster declaration for Florida was issued on Sept. 23, 2020.
Thirty days after the declaration, FEMA’s Individual and Households Program had approved more than $16.9 million in grant assistance and completed more than 7,500 home inspections.
To date, federal assistance for Hurricane Sally recovery totals more than $326.5 million, including FEMA grants, National Flood Insurance Program payments and disaster loans provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Breakdown of federal assistance for Hurricane Sally, as of Sept. 10, 2021:
- Individual and Households Assistance approved 8,545 applications for more than $37.2 million:
- More than $29.3 million approved for housing repair costs, home improvement and rental payments.
- More than $7.9 million approved to replace essential household items and for other critical disaster-related costs.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration approved 2,191 low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses for more than $89.3 million.
- The National Flood Insurance Program has processed more than 4,788 claims from policyholders for payouts totaling more than $154.4 million.
- More than $45.1 million in FEMA’s Public Assistance grant reimbursements have been approved for the repair and replacement of infrastructure for state and local governments and eligible nonprofits, including:
- More than $11.8 million for debris removal (more than 754,345 cubic yards of debris)
- More than $19.9 million for emergency protective measures
- More than $13.3 million for permanent repair work
- More than $518,000 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding has been approved. FEMA’s HMGP provides grants to state, local tribal and territorial governments so they can rebuild in a way that reduces or mitigates future disaster losses in their communities. This grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster.
For more information on Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Sally, visit FloridaDisaster.org and FEMA.gov/disaster/4564.
