Clean up, Recovery, & Assistance in Volusia County after Hurricane Ian

We’re talking about clean-up and recovery from Hurricane Ian and what you can do if you’ve been affected by the storm. So many of us- our friends, neighbors, and family- have been affected by this storm and our hearts go out to everyone impacted. 

So you’ve probably heard by now that Volusia County has been designated by FEMA for Individual Assistance. FEMA can help with things like housing expenses, home repairs, and other essential disaster-related needs that aren’t covered by your insurance. You can apply in one of three ways: online at disasterassistance.gov, by downloading the FEMA app, or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.

It’s important to understand that FEMA won’t duplicate benefits for your losses covered by insurance, so if you have homeowners, renters, or flood insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.

You can apply for disaster assistance if you’re a homeowner or a renter that’s had damage to your home, vehicle, personal property, business, or inventory. Assistance can include everything from grants to help pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the Hurricane.

There are also a number of organizations in the community providing hot meals and food distribution to those in need. The Bridge Center at 421 S. Palmetto Avenue in Deland is providing hot lunches and dinners, Second Harvest Food Bank has various distribution areas around Central Florida. You can visit feedhopenow.org to find an area near you. And Food Brings Hope offers emergency food deliveries to households in Volusia County with children. For more information, you can call the VCan Helpline at 386-999-1888.

If you’re a small business owner that’s experienced economic injury or physical damage, you can apply for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program that provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans of up to $50,000. The deadline for applications is December 2nd. For more information, you can visit floridajobs.org/EBL for more information.

Storm debris collection trucks started collecting storm debris last Friday, October 7th. They’ll be collecting debris seven days a week from 7 am to 7 pm and are working by zones. Make sure all debris is in a pile and not bagged so the claw trucks will be able to pick up the debris.

And finally, if you need to hire a contractor, always make sure the contractor is licensed and insured. All licensed contractors are registered with the State of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulations. To verify a contractor's license, you can visit myfloridalicense.com and click on the “Verify a License” option.

If there’s anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. If we can’t help directly, I’m sure we have someone that can.