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Feds still helping with hurricane repairs

Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fix 2004 storm damage already total $1.13-billion statewide. But more money is available.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published February 18, 2005

ZEPHYRHILLS - Cost to renovate the bathroom, replace the septic system and repair the roof: $6,662.

Making a storm-damaged house feel like home again: priceless.

Nearly six months after Frances and Jeanne battered and flooded the area, Patrick Stephens is wrapping up the repairs to his 1968 mobile home along the New River. His once-flooded bathroom has a new window, bathtub and toilet. His once-submerged yard has a new septic system, and repairs are almost done on his once-collapsed roof.

"It's an older mobile home," said Stephens, a 39-year-old disabled plumber who did most of his own repairs with a check from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, "but it's home."

And like thousands of other Pasco County residents, Stephens couldn't have done it without the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The agency announced Thursday it has awarded $11.5-million in grants to 4,549 Pasco households recovering from last year's storms. That averages out to $2,500 per home.

The grants statewide topped $1.13-billion for 591,971 households.

About half of the money paid for lodging expenses and rental assistance for displaced residents, while the other half covered home repairs and other storm damage costs, the agency reported.

There's still time for others to qualify for assistance, but only if they apply by Feb. 28.

Floridians also collected $1.39-billion in low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The emergency management agency offered the grants as a last resort for people who had uninsured losses or did not qualify for a Small Business Administration loan.

To put the figures in perspective, consider the scope of the statewide recovery effort from Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne:

Nearly 53-million cubic yards of debris have been cleared.

FEMA housing inspectors have visited more than 864,000 properties to verify storm damage.

FEMA has provided more than 15,300 mobile homes and travel trailers to hurricane victims.

The National Flood Insurance Program has received more than 32,000 claims.

Even with thousands of residents seeking help, Stephens said the federal agency quickly provided the money he needed to repair his home.

"I called them. I made a report. They sent a guy out to check (the home), and they sent me a check," he said. "That was pretty much it."

"It was worth making it livable again."

Homeowners, renters and business owners who suffered damage from last year's hurricanes have until Feb. 28 to apply for federal disaster aid. Call 1-800-621-3362, Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or visit www.fema.gov and click on "Register for Disaster Assistance Online."

[Last modified February 18, 2005, 00:14:17]