When the floodwaters of Hurricane Ian receded from Key West by Sept. 30, more than 400 Key West households had to haul their drenched lives and living rooms to the curb. Warped, wooden furniture, mattresses soaked in saltwater and irreparable appliances still line the streets of several Key West neighborhoods that bore the brunt of Ian’s storm surge.
But as of Tuesday, Oct. 11, flood victims in the Florida Keys are finally eligible for financial assistance from FEMA. Those affected by Hurricane Ian in the Florida Keys can apply for FEMA help at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
For the first two weeks following Hurricane Ian, Monroe County was not included in the list of Florida counties eligible for what’s known as Individual Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county and the city of Key West were immediately eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance, which provides funds to help communities recover in terms of debris removal and infrastructure repairs.
The Individual Assistance program provides federal funding to help homeowners and renters offset the costs of their damages and losses in counties that are designated under a major disaster declaration.
Monroe County was included in the state’s emergency declaration orders the week of Hurricane Ian, but was not deemed eligible for Individual Assistance until Tuesday, Oct. 11.
As of Monday, Oct. 10, Monroe County’s application for Individual Assistance was “still under review,” according to Key West Mayor Teri Johnston and Monroe County spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.
Mayor Johnston alerted the Keys Weekly on Tuesday, Oct. 11 that the eligibility had been approved for Individual Assistance.
“Individual Assistance may help pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured shortfalls for personal property losses, medical, dental and funeral expenses caused directly by a declared disaster,” states a description of FEMA assistance programs provided to the Keys Weekly by Nicole Rapanos, legislative director for U.S. Congressman Carlos Gimenez.
Gimenez supported Monroe County’s application for Individual Assistance from the federal government. The congressman visited Key West immediately following Hurricane Ian, on Friday, Sept. 30. He met with officials at Key West’s city hall before touring several flood-damaged neighborhoods. Gimenez confirmed that Key West absolutely had suffered damage from the storm surge as Ian churned in the Gulf to the west of Key West. He told local officials that he had sent letters to the federal government and to the president on behalf of the Florida Keys.
“From the beginning, I’ve fought hard for the people in Monroe County hit the hardest by Hurricane Ian,” Gimenez said on Tuesday, Oct. 11. “After weeks of advocacy on behalf of Keys residents from my office, the entire Florida delegation, Governor DeSantis, and our local FEMA officials, today Monroe County is eligible for FEMA’s individual assistance, in addition to the Category A designation for debris removal. This is a huge win for Monroe County as recovery efforts continue.”
Florida Keys residents are quick to acknowledge that Key West’s damage does not compare to the devastation wrought on the state’s west coast. But for families with 3 feet of drenched drywall and no usable furniture, the costs can be crippling.
