Florida Disaster Relief for Hurricane Ian

Much of the below will likely apply to affected areas other than Florida. However, the data presented here was gathered specifically for those in Florida.

With President Biden officially declaring a federal disaster in Florida due to Hurricane Ian, federal aid has been made available including grants for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans.

The disaster declaration covers different areas depending on the aid program. For SBA programs, the primary counties covered by the disaster declaration are Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota. Individuals and businesses in the primary counties are eligible for any of the SBA disaster loan programs. Those in the contiguous counties of Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Polk, Pasco are eligible only for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

FEMA and other government disaster programs are only available for the primary counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota.

Governor DeSantis has requested that the President extend the disaster declaration to all 67 counties to help mitigate the damage caused by Hurricane Ian as it passed over the state.

Programs include:

SBA Business Disaster Loans:

• Business Physical Disaster Loans: Low-interest long-term loans for losses not fully covered by insurance or other means for businesses and private non-profit organizations. Businesses of all sizes as well as private non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million* to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate; machinery & equipment; and inventory & other businesses assets. https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/article/Business-Physical-Disaster-Loans

• SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): Low-interest long-term loans up to $2 million* to help meet working capital needs of small businesses and most private non-profit organizations due to the disaster. EDIL help is available whether the business has any physical property damage or not. https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/article/Economic-Injury-Disaster-Loans

*The maximum combined loan amount for both the EIDL and the Physical Disaster Loans is $2 million.

SBA Home and Property Disaster Loans: Low-interest long-term loans for losses not fully covered by insurance or other means for your home and property. You may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace your primary home to its pre-disaster condition. Loans can also potentially be increased up to 20% to make improvements to help protect it from future disasters. You may also be able to borrow up to $40,000 to replace damaged or destroyed personal property. https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/article/Home-and-Personal-Property-Loans

The deadlines for applications for SBA disaster loans are: Physical Damage – November 28, 2022 & Economic Injury – June 29, 2023

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

FEMA Individuals and Households Program (IHP) – Housing Assistance: The program assists with housing needs not covered by insurance or provided by any other source. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1571949706314-838a916aad698391afe34b45ac13100a/1_FACTSHEET_Individuals_and_Households_Program.pdf

FEMA Individuals and Households Program (IHP) – Other Needs Assistance: The program provides money, if you qualify, for necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster including transportation, childcare, moving and storage, among others. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1571949706314-838a916aad698391afe34b45ac13100a/1_FACTSHEET_Individuals_and_Households_Program.pdf

DOL Disaster Unemployment Assistance: The program provides temporary benefits to people who, as a result of a major disaster, lost or had their employment or self-employment interrupted and are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits. If you lived, worked, or were scheduled to work in the declared disaster area, you may qualify for assistance if you meet any of the following conditions:

• No longer have a job or place to work.
• Can’t reach your job site.
• Can’t work because of damage to the job site.
• Were about to start a new job but, due to the disaster, the job no longer exists.
• Can’t work because of an injury caused by the disaster.
• Became the major support for a household because the head of household died due to the disaster.

To be eligible you must be available and eligible to work unless you were injured during the disaster or are taking steps to return to self-employment. https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/disaster.asp

To apply for any disaster funding or for more information on these and other programs, begin by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.

A very special thank you to Omar Nashashibi and The Franklin Partnership for this post.

In addition, please read this article by Melissa Labant and Jay Sattler for more information on IRS Disaster Relief.