ORLANDO, Fla. – In the 12 months since Hurricane Irma smashed into Florida, almost $3 billion in federal assistance from FEMA, the Small Business Administration and the National Flood Insurance Program is helping to restore homes, businesses and public facilities. In addition to federal funds, the state of Florida, local governments, charitable organizations, community groups and thousands of Floridians are rolling up their sleeves and opening their checkbooks to help survivors recover from Hurricane Irma.
“Forty-seven thousand people have volunteered more than 1.5 million hours on Irma-related projects,” said Allan L. Jarvis, FEMA federal coordinating officer. “People are powering the recovery. Volunteers have been here since the beginning and one year later, they’re still assisting survivors through the long-term recovery groups.”
Volunteer Florida, the state’s lead agency for volunteers and donations, coordinates many of the volunteer activities. In the days after Irma’s landfall, Volunteer Florida:
- Teamed up with Crisis CleanUp to generate work orders to restore 25,000 homes damaged by the hurricane. More than 500 AmeriCorps members cut fallen trees, put tarps on roofs, and removed storm-damaged drywall, insulation, flooring, furniture and appliances.
- Partnered with Centro Campesino to provide food, water and emergency supplies to 13,500 people in Southwest Florida.
- Worked with Star of the Sea to provide furniture to families in the Keys who lost belongings during Irma.
- Provided $2.6 million to 77 organizations who helped survivors during the response to Hurricane Irma. Recipients include foodbanks across the state and nonprofits including Team Rubicon, the United Way of Brevard County, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and NECHAMA.
As response has given way to recovery, FEMA—recognizing that some survivors continue to need help—awarded Volunteer Florida more than $28 million to administer the Disaster Case Management Program. Four agencies are providing disaster case managers to an estimated 10,000 households that may need further assistance to realize their disaster recovery plans.
Volunteer Florida is using some of the money from FEMA’s Disaster Case Management Program to fund recovery agencies assisting survivors. Approximately $5.5 million has been given out in grants and an additional $1.6 million is earmarked to pay salaries, travel and expenses for disaster recovery professionals.
Funds from the Disaster Case Management Program also went to support Long Term Recovery Groups.
Long-Term Recovery Groups are nonprofit, community-based organizations made up of volunteers, civic groups and residents of the affected area. The groups reflect the diversity of the community and focus on locally-driven solutions that will serve people living in the community. By working together, LTRGs are able to leverage resources from a variety of sources like philanthropies, charitable organizations and faith-based groups who supply donated goods, volunteer labor and funding.
As the groups began to form after Hurricane Irma, FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons crisscrossed the state meeting with local groups and offered technical assistance to the LTRGs. The Voluntary Agency Liaisons are experienced emergency management professionals who can share best practices from past disasters, guide LTRGs as they develop bylaws and committees and identify services that may be available to aid survivors.
Volunteer Florida provided grants of $50,000 each to 13 LTRGs to cover staff costs. The American Red Cross is matching this grant with an additional $50,000. LTRGs will use this money to hire experienced personnel who can design and implement recovery strategies, secure additional resources, and facilitate decision-making to increase long-term resilience.
One year ago, Hurricane Irma brought destruction and suffering to thousands of Floridians but the people of Florida—with help from volunteer groups, philanthropic organizations and local, state and federal governments—are working hard to build communities that can withstand even the strongest storm.
For more Hurricane Irma recovery information, visit www.FEMA.gov/IrmaFL.
Follow FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Twitter at @FEMARegion4 and @FLSERT. You may also visit FEMA and the Division’s Facebook pages at Facebook.com/FEMA and Facebook.com/FloridaSERT.
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