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New Help for Hurricane Michael Victims

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Money awarded for community resilience, too

Blue roof tarps are still a familiar sight in Florida’s Panhandle. Courtesy, Jason Brough

With 95% of Hurricane Michael insurance claims now closed, the state of Florida has opened a fund to help Panhandle residents impacted by the October 2018 Category 5 hurricane repair, rebuild, or replace their homes.  There’s also news this week on a big infusion of money to help rebuild Florida’s critical disaster-related facilities.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced that the application period is open for homeowners in Hurricane Michael impacted areas for the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program.  The program has more than $246 million in funding to provide long-term assistance to fix or replace Hurricane Michael-damaged homes in a 12-county area that serve as primary residences of eligible Florida families, as well as eligible rental homes.  The program will manage and complete the actual repair or reconstruction of damaged homes on behalf of eligible homeowners.

Priority will go to low- and moderate-income households and those with senior citizens, children, or individuals with special needs.  Funding for the program is allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

The latest reported figures on Hurricane Michael from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation as of November 2, 2020, show nearly 160,000 claims with total estimated insured losses of $9.1 billion.  OIR reports 95% of claims are closed with a paid to unpaid claim ratio of 6:1.

City Hall and Police Station building in Bay County, Florida damaged from Hurricane Michael, October 2018. Although it had retrofitted storm shutters, the older unfortified trusses collapsed. Courtesy, FEMA

Meanwhile, Governor DeSantis has announced that $75 million has been awarded to 30 communities through DEO’s Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program.  The program allows local governments to increase the resiliency of critical facilities that serve a public safety purpose for local communities.  The Governor noted the need to prepare for future storms and that “this funding will be central to that preparation and make these communities more resilient,” said the Governor.

A list of the 30 communities awarded the money and how they plan to spend it are here.  The funds were allocated through the federal HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) program formed in response to the 2016 to 2017 presidentially declared disasters.  It comes on the heels of the Governor’s announcement last month of $100 million being awarded to 24 communities for needed infrastructure repair from Hurricane Irma damage.

LMA Newsletter of 2-15-21

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Tags: Disaster Management, Disaster Resilience, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Michael Claims, Hurricane Michael Disaster Relief, Rebuild Florida Critical Facility Hardening Program, Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program

“Another great Newsletter on Florida industry this week.  Your service and advocacy in Florida is very important to keeping me updated and apprised of the Florida insurance laws, trends and overall environment.  Something similar is very much needed in Louisiana, too.”

Jennifer Tedesco, Esq., Claims Director
Pharos Claims Services
Orlando, FL

“Just wanted to say that I thoroughly love your newsletter. It’s is always informative and insightful to the ins and outs of our industry.  You are an inspiration and an important asset in the insurance world.  Keep up the great work!” 

Cynthia Scott, President
University Insurance Group
Davie, FL

“Your newsletter is fabulous!  I greatly appreciate the topics you expose, so that insurance professionals like myself can keep up with the latest events that affect the public we serve and ourselves.”

Cynthia Hoehn, Independent Property & Casualty Personal Lines insurance agent
Clermont, FL

“Thank you Lisa for staying on top of, as well as advocating, for Florida residents and legislative reform. Your newsletters are very informative and enjoy reading the points of view.”  

Shawna Miller, Sr. Claims Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager
Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
Jacksonville, FL

“Just a quick note to let you know how much I have appreciated your newsletter over the years and the assistance they offer for those in the field of claims. We depend on the information more than you will ever know!”

Laurie Rasberry, Chief Claims Officer
Acorn Claims
Prosper, Texas

“Lisa this is another great newsletter, and we appreciate the time and energy you put into these informative updates – you are on top of these topics!”

Mike Graham, CEO
Smart Vent Products, Floodproofing.com, & Risk Reduction Plus
Juno Beach, FL

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Jeffrey Karam, CPCU
Bradenton, FL

“Lisa Miller is a true champion for the insurance industry, with her regular updates! We appreciate all you do and keeping us up to date on priority issues!”

Gillian Lloyd, Account Executive
Zywave
Milwaukee, WI

“Great article on Risk Rating 2.0!”

Austin Perez, Senior Policy Representative for Federal Housing, Valuation, Insurance and Commercial Issues
National Association of Realtors
Washington, D.C.

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