At the FEMA meeting at Cape Coral Town Hall on November 3, residents were everywhere. Speakers included representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the state and local levels, public assistance agencies, the SBA, and planners from the City of Cape Coral.
Information provided to residents covers a variety of relevant topics.
A major announcement was the opening of the new FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Cape Coral at Lake Kennedy Center at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Lee County FEMA Division Director Bob Fogel shared the schedule What FEMA has accomplished so far in Lee County.
“Hurricane Ian struck on Wednesday, September 28; on October 2, the first FEMA inspection was conducted; on October 3, FEMA made its first payment. As of November 3, there were 56,045 FEMA items in the system Registered, 11,757 inspections completed, 11,508 inspections in progress,” Fogel said.
He continued, “As of November 3, $21,584,650 in homeowner assistance grants have been disbursed and $6,365,000 in rental assistance payments to individuals: $892,810 has been paid out for Cape Coral flood insurance.”
FEMA Director of Personal Assistance Marcus Bryant shares specific ways FEMA helps individuals.
“We provide housing assistance; home repair and rental assistance; transitional housing assistance and other needs assistance, known as ONA; personal property replacement, transportation, medical and dental assistance, and moving and storage services,” Bryant said.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director and State Coordinator Kevin Guthrie spoke about the state’s non-aggregate travel trailer shelter program, which is temporary housing only, known as Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA).
“We’re going to be here for 3-5 years, or until the area fully recovers,” Guthrie assured the audience. “The state’s threshold for non-agglomerated shelter travel trailers is much lower than FEMA’s trailer housing program.” He explained that the state’s program is 6 months, while FEMA’s program is 18 months. He also noted that if you have a second home anywhere, you are not eligible for FEMA’s temporary trailer housing program.
Town hall meetings cover many of the more important topics. You can watch the entire show on cape-tv.com or listen below.
CapeCoral TownHall FEMA Update 110322.mp3