Recovery and relief funding ongoing
Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge washes through Steinhatchee, August 30, 2023. Courtesy, WCJB-TV.
Six months after Hurricane Idalia struck the Florida Big Bend region as a major Category 3 hurricane, FEMA and the federal government have provided more than $820 million to help with disaster recovery with more projects in the works with the state of Florida.
Previously a strong Category 4 hurricane, Idalia came ashore as a Cat 3 storm on the morning of August 30, 2023 at Keaton Beach, in the mostly rural and sparsely populated Taylor County. It had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and storm surge of 10-12 feet but remained a Cat 2 hurricane as it swept through North Florida before entering Georgia.
Marinas and other boating interests along the coast took a big hit, with debris still being pulled out of the water today. Idalia caused major impacts to rural communities with a vast and varied agricultural landscape, which has been the focus of special attention since. FEMA and the state opened two Farmer Recovery Centers to better serve farmers.
In a nine-county area, FEMA is providing temporary housing to eligible survivors whose homes are uninhabitable. As of January 23, all eligible survivors were provided FEMA temporary housing units. More than 230 FEMA staff members are deployed in Florida, working with our Florida Division of Emergency Management and other partners in ongoing Idalia recovery.
Here’s how the relief to date breaks down:
- FEMA has provided $82.5 million in Individual Assistance grant funding to over 35,000 eligible survivors. More than 7,000 survivors were given rental assistance to help pay for lodging while they repair or rebuild their disaster damaged home.
- The National Flood Insurance Program has closed 98% of the 5,210 claims submitted and paid out $364 million to policyholders to restore homes and businesses. FEMA reports its Hazard Mitigation Community Education Outreach teams counseled over 12,000 survivors on the importance of flood insurance and other mitigation measures since.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $78.6 million in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, business owners and private non-profit organizations.
- FEMA has provided $295 million in Public Assistance grant funding to the state of Florida to help state and local governments and certain nonprofits with emergency response projects. More projects are in development.
Chicken houses in Suwannee County after Hurricane Idalia. Courtesy, Kelly Aue, Suwannee River Partnership
That money continues to make its way into the affected communities. The Governor announced earlier this month the award of more than $66 million to those communities, including $9.2 million to the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners, Madison County, and Big Bend Technical College through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund (JGGF) for infrastructure improvements and to expand workforce education. Another $50 million from the Hurricane Idalia Recovery Grant Program is going to assist impacted communities with building repairs, debris removal, and infrastructure projects, while $6.8 million from the Florida Department of Transportation will assist rural counties with road resurfacing and widening projects. This is in addition to the targeted relief that the Florida Legislature in its November 2023 special session provided for farmer loans, timber landowner grants, and sales tax refunds on fencing and building materials.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation at its last update on November 16, 2023, put Idalia’s total estimated insured losses at $309.5 million on just over 25,000 claims at the time. Just over 75% of those claims were closed with a paid to unpaid claim ratio of 3:2.
LMA Newsletter of 3-25-24
