FEDERAL HELP FOR FLORIDA’S RECOVERY FROM HURRICANE IRMA
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/federal-help-floridas-recovery-hurricane-irma]


Release Date: 
September 5, 2018 

ORLANDO, FLA. – In the days after Hurricane Irma’s landfall,
multiple federal agencies came to Florida to assist residents, assess
damage and help rebuild a stronger, more resilient Sunshine State.
Working under the National Disaster Recovery Framework
[https://www.fema.gov/national-disaster-recovery-framework], teams of
experts from FEMA and other federal agencies formed the Interagency
Recovery Coordination group.

Recovering from a disaster requires communities to organize, plan a
path forward, and gather the resources to execute the plan. But, at
times of stress, with cleanup operations underway, urgent needs to
address and people living in makeshift housing, some communities and
local governments struggle to draw a blueprint. The IRC pulled in
staff from a variety of disciplines and assigned them to work with
communities as they resolved hurricane-related issues.

COORDINATED PLACE BASED RECOVERY SUPPORT
The IRC, together with the Florida Division of Emergency Management
and Department of Economic Opportunity, reviewed all Florida counties
to determine the severity of impact from Hurricane Irma. Based on the
survey, teams of disaster recovery professionals were assembled and
dispatched to Collier, Hendry, Lee, and Monroe counties. The
Coordinated Place Based Recovery Support teams worked with local
leaders to prioritize issues and develop cost-effective strategies.

The teams offered technical assistance on a wide range of issues
including:

	* Hardening critical facilities
	* Electrical grid improvement
	* Business continuity planning
	* Water and sewer upgrades
	* Restoration of historic structures
	* Affordable housing
	* Resources and training for workforce development
	* Grants management guidance
	* Improvements to emergency evacuation routes
	* Sheltering medically-fragile populations

In all, more than 60 RECOVERY ISSUES AND STRATEGIES were identified to
help the counties rebuild in ways that increase resiliency. The teams
used MAX-TRAX, a web-based software program, to record, update in real
time, and share community and county issues, strategies and actions
with federal, state and local partners.

ADDITIONAL IRC CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLORIDA’S RECOVERY
The IRC created a work plan and facilitated a study to find out why
St. Johns Avenue in Palatka, Florida has a history of flooding and
drainage issues. Based on the study results, Putnam County will be
able to take action to temporarily ease some of the flooding impact
until a permanent solution can be found.

IRC staff offered technical assistance to state and local agencies and
suggested sources for loans and grants to pay for recovery projects,
including a $1.1 MILLION grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to
fund five Local Disaster Recovery Manager positions.

IRC-sponsored training on health care, child care, business
resiliency, disaster preparedness and environmental protection helped
communities to protect public health, advance sustainable development,
and integrate mitigation measures into the Hurricane Irma recovery.

Before Irma, Florida had not had a landfalling hurricane in 12 years.
There may not be another hurricane for another 12 years, but whatever
happens this year, IRC staff helped communities recover and rebuild in
ways that will make Florida stronger and more resilient.

For additional information on Hurricane Irma recovery, visit
www.FEMA.gov/IrmaFL [http://www.FEMA.gov/IrmaFL].

Follow FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management on
Twitter at @FEMARegion4 [https://twitter.com/FEMARegion4] and @FLSERT
[https://twitter.com/flsert]. You may also visit FEMA and the
Division’s Facebook pages at Facebook.com/FEMA
[https://www.facebook.com/FEMA/] and Facebook.com/FloridaSERT
[https://www.facebook.com/FloridaSERT/].