ORLANDO, Fla. – Three years after Hurricane Irma made landfall, Florida communities are rebuilding with the support of $5.8 billion in federal grants, loans and flood insurance payments.
“Our federal partners have been critical to Florida’s recovery from hurricanes,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Rebuilding after Hurricane Irma would not have been nearly as successful without support from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Flood Insurance Program. I look forward to our continued partnership as we remain committed to rebuilding resilient communities for all Floridians.”
As of Sept. 4, 2020, individuals and households received $1.02 billion in grants from FEMA. The U.S. Small Business Administration provided $1.4 billion in low-interest loans to businesses, homeowners and renters. The National Flood Insurance Program paid $979 million in claims to policyholders.
“When I came to the division, cities and counties were struggling without the critical reimbursements they needed to recover from Hurricane Irma,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz. “Since January 2019, we have paid out the most hurricane recovery funding in 20 months in the division’s history, including nearly $1.5 billion for Hurricane Irma recovery and $257 million for citrus growers impacted by this storm. On the three-year anniversary of this devastating storm, we remain committed to working with FEMA to make sure Florida recovers stronger than ever before.”
Rebuilding public facilities and infrastructure is a long-term effort. To date, FEMA’s Public Assistance Program has awarded $2.06 billion in grants to the State of Florida to reimburse local governments and eligible nonprofit organizations for debris removal, emergency response and permanent repairs.
For instance, Palm Beach County received a grant for $20 million to combat erosion and help restore Juno Beach, which was damaged in the storm. The project involved placing 1.5 million cubic yards of sand on the 2.45-mile beach, helping to mitigate damage from future storms.
The City of Miami received a grant for $17.5 million to restore Dinner Key Marina, which has 582 boat slips and moorings for 225 vessels. Rebuilding this structure include replacing piers, decks, mooring facilities, sea walls, the electrical and fire protection systems and other components.
Seawalls in the City of Punta Gorda were damaged or destroyed as a result of waves and storm surge. The city received a grant of $25 million to replace 10,116 panels along 60,689 feet of seawall.
“We are committed to supporting the State of Florida as it recovers from Hurricane Irma,” said James Coleman, manager of the FEMA recovery operation for Florida.
In rebuilding, many projects include mitigation to reduce damage from future disasters. FEMA has provided $91.8 million for these efforts. In addition, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program has awarded $208 million to the state for other projects designed to reduce damage from future storms, including hardening the Wiregrass Sports Complex in Pasco County, South Broward Hospital in Broward County and Memorial Hospital Flagler in Miami-Dade County.
FEMA also supplemented the State of Florida with the following grant programs: $10.3 million for Disaster Unemployment Assistance; $21.7 million for Disaster Case Management; $421,569 for the Crisis Counseling Immediate Services Program and $1 million for the Crisis Counseling Regular Services Program.