Additional Resources for Hurricane Ian Recovery
To assist those in our community we are gathering information on the various hurricane recovery resources in SWFL that could assist residents on the road to recovery from the storm. President Biden declared that the following counties are disaster areas: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sarasota, and Seminole. Federal disaster funding will be available to residents and businesses in these areas. Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can apply for assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or using the FEMA app.
Insurance:
**This is not an all-inclusive list, there are likely other Insurance Village locations due to the vast area that the storm has impacted. It may be helpful to contact your insurance agent to find a mobile claim location near you.
An Insurance Village is located at JetBlue Park 11500 Fenway South Drive, Fort Myers, to assist consumers with insurance claims and other needs. It will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Allstate and State Farm insurance companies have experienced representatives at mobile claims centers across SWFL to help clients process insurance claims for the damage that Hurricane Ian caused for homes, cars, and other property. Each one has a walk-up tent in the Home Depot parking lot at 14655 S Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers.
Allstate has other mobile claims centers in these locations:
- Home Depot at 19690 Cochran Blvd Port Charlotte, FL 3394 – Hours of operation: Monday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
- Insurance Village Port Charlotte Town Center parking lot at 1441 Tamiami Trail Port Charlotte, FL 33948 – Hours of operation: Monday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
- Home Depot at 3031 NE Pine Island Road Cape Coral, FL 33909 – Hours of operation: Monday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
** Insurance companies are warning clients about contracts called Assignment of Benefits, or AOB. Those contracts allow a vendor like a roofer or a mold remediation company to file a claim on your behalf and receive the payment from the insurance company. While the practice is legal, make sure you read and understand all details in an AOB so you can keep claims in your name.
**Information in this section is provided from online NBC-2 and FOX-4 news stories.
Flood Insurance Waivers to Speed Up Processing Times:
Based on a request from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to approve a waiver that will assist homeowners with national flood insurance, who were impacted by Hurricane Ian, will be able to get their claims processed faster.
This waiver will allow current policyholders to access a portion of their claim without having to complete the full claims process. This will speed up the process for people who are waiting for assistance. It will also provide up to $20,000 for necessary repairs.
This does not mean that policyholders can bypass the full claims process. The waiver is only in place to help get the process started faster, and provide assistance to those in affected areas. Policyholders will still need to complete the full insurance claims process.
If you are a policyholder that evacuated before the storm, and are unsure if you have flood damage, you can still start the flood insurance claims process if you suspect that you could have been effected by flooding.
Policyholders can contact their insurance agent or company to discuss next steps or start the NFIP Flood Claim process on the FEMA website. If you are not sure who the insurance agent or company is for your flood insurance, you can call (877) 336-2627.
Boil Water Notices:
- All of Lee County still remains under a Boil Water Notice
- As of October 5, Collier County has lifted the Boil Water Notice that was in place
Blue Roof Program
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has activated its Operation Blue Roof program for Charlotte, Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties offering free blue tarp installations to qualifying homes. To learn more and to apply, call 888-ROOF-BLU (888-766-3258) or visit the website. The initial sign-up/application period will be open through October 23, 2022.
Lee County Property Appraisal Office Update:
The Lee County Property Appraiser’s office recently shared that they will be evaluating all the county’s 550,000 properties, getting assessments on the damage and redetermining the values during the next couple of months following Wednesday’s destruction wrought by Hurricane Ian. Lee County property appraiser Matt Caldwell notes that residents could help streamline this process by submitting their own information. If you visit LeePa.org, the home page now has links to submit details about damage as well as photographs.
County Disaster Website Links To Stay Updated
Click on the county below to access their emergency updates for Hurricane Ian recovery.
HOUSING Airbnb And Expedia Resources For Accommodation:
Airbnb
Airbnb has launched www.airbnb.com/hurricaneianflorida as a resource for Florida residents displaced by Hurricane Ian. The page shows open (vacant and available for rent) properties that are available to be booked outside of the FEMA Disaster zones. As communities become fully restored with water and electricity, Airbnb will add more open properties to the page.
For displaced residents of Lee and Charlotte counties, Airbnb is also working with their nonprofit partners to offer vouchers for temporary housing at Airbnb properties. To learn more, click here.
Expedia
VISIT FLORIDA has activated its Emergency Accommodations Module with Expedia to provide real-time hotel availability throughout the state. This module is automatically populated from Florida inventory information provided to Expedia.
**Information in this section is provided by the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce
Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program
Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $50 million available with at least $10 million going to small businesses that are agricultural producers impacted by Hurricane Ian in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties. Small businesses in the most impacted counties — Charlotte, Collier, Lee and Sarasota — will be escalated and prioritized as they are received. The program, administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, provides short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury or physical damage due to Hurricane Ian. Interested applicants can apply through December 2, 2022 or until all available funds are expended. Eligible small businesses may apply for loans of up to $50,000 through the program by clicking here.
**Information in this section was shared in the October 6, 2022 Gulfshore Business Daily Eblast
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Update on Office Operations Due to Hurricane Ian
Our thoughts are with everyone in SWFL. As we know, the path to recovery will be long and challenging after Hurricane Ian. We are working as quickly as possible to get all of our operations up and running. We appreciate your patience, as recovery from the storm will take time and effort from everyone in SWFL.
We know that our community is strong and will persevere. Southwest Florida will get through this event together. We are keeping everyone in our thoughts, stay safe and know we are here for you.
