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Rebuilding Lives, Revitalizing Communities: Florida

Rebuilding Lives, Revitalizing Communities - Five Years after Katrina and Rita

Florida Recovery Efforts after Katrina and Wilma

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Katrina* and Wilma Recovery
2005-2010
  • 589,486 Floridians registered for assistance
  • $342 million distributed for families and individuals
  • $306 million reimbursed to Florida to save lives and protect property
  • $1.47 billion obligated to help communities repair and rebuild
  • $104.2 million to mitigate against future damages

    *Hurricane Katrina declared for Public Assistance only 

A Gulf Coast resident displaced by Hurricane Katrina evacuated to Pensacola Florida visits the Disaster Recovery Center to register for assistance
A Gulf Coast resident displaced by Hurricane Katrina evacuated to Pensacola Florida visits the Disaster Recovery Center to register for assistance. 
Hurricane Wilma devastated communities throughout the Gulf Coast, and came on the heels of one of the most destructive disasters in our nation’s history. Florida faced the dual challenge of helping its residents prepare for and recover from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, while also supporting the needs of the many Gulf Coast residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina’s landfall.

Under the leadership of the Obama Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has launched a number of initiatives to improve the pace of ongoing, and future, recovery efforts to help rebuild the communities that are the economic engines of the Gulf Coast. All of these efforts have focused on finding innovative solutions to better support state and local officials, remove bureaucratic red tape, and give residents the assistance they need to move forward.

Initiatives

Support for States Sheltering Evacuees
In November 2009, FEMA announced a final rule that streamlines the reimbursement process for states (host-states) that provide shelter for residents that evacuated from presidentially declared disaster areas. Under the new rule, host-states can be directly reimbursed by FEMA for the base salary costs for state and local employees providing assistance as part of the host-state sheltering grant from FEMA, rather than reimbursing through a lengthier, more time-intensive, mutual aid process that requires reimbursement through the impacted state.

In Key West, FL, a FEMA Individual Assistance information specialist checks in local residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma at the Disaster Recovery Center
In Key West, FL, a FEMA Individual Assistance information specialist checks in local residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma at the Disaster Recovery Center. 

Expanding Access to Critical Information
In April 2010, Administrator Fugate announced the launch of FEMA's new mobile Web site, m.fema.gov. The mobile Web site makes it easier to access critical information regarding emergency preparedness and what to do before and after a disaster right on a Smartphone.

The mobile Web site was further expanded in July to include a new feature to the m.fema.gov mobile platform, making it easier for disaster survivors to apply for help directly from FEMA and other federal partners through their web enabled mobile phone devices.

As Smartphones become cheaper and more prevalent, and wireless networks more resilient, these devices are becoming more than just simple communication tools – they can be life lines during emergencies.

Planning for the Needs of all Members of the Community
Administrator Fugate forged a working relationship with the National Commission on Children and Disasters in an effort to focus on planning for children in disasters. As an outcome of his meetings with the Commission, Administrator Fugate created the FEMA "Children's Working Group" to explore and implement planning and response strategies specific to children throughout the agency and ensure that during a disaster the unique needs of children are not only considered, but fully integrated into how FEMA administers this support to states and the public. Under Administrator Fugate’s direction, FEMA established the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination to increase capacity for meeting the emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery related access and functional needs of children and adults with disabilities.

Mitigation                                                                                                                                                                  To protect the homes of hundreds of elderly or disabled families, FEMA provided hazard mitigation funds to the state for the Hialeah Housing Authority’s storm shutter efforts. Protective screens on windows and doors also will help defend the Lake Worth Public Library and its valuable collections against windborne debris. Lake Worth’s City Hall, which serves as a secondary emergency operations center during disasters, will also get heavy-duty screens to protect against high winds and projectiles.
Hazard mitigation is any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to life and property from a hazard event. In other words, it’s the practice of preparing property to withstand damage from future disasters. Across the state of Florida, more than $150 million for mitigation projects was set aside following Katrina and Wilma.

Public Assistance
Since Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina hit South Florida, more than $1.8 billion in Public Assistance funds was set aside for more than 10,700 Public Assistance recovery projects in affected communities. Through the Public Assistance program, FEMA grants state and local governments and eligible nonprofit agencies funds to repair or replace damaged roads and bridges, public buildings and their contents, publicly owned utilities and parks and recreation areas. It also includes funds for emergency services and eligible debris-removal costs related to the disaster.

"Our ongoing work with mitigation projects has better prepared Florida communities to withstand the impacts of future hurricanes and other disasters"
Robert Ives
Director of the Florida Recovery Office

Recovery Photos

Last Modified: Thursday, 26-Aug-2010 16:58:17 EDT