Trump administration OKs individual assistance from FEMA

Sept. 12--South Floridians who need help recovering from Hurricane Irma will be eligible for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the Trump administration reversed an earlier decision that excluded the region's residents receiving the aid.

The decision came Monday night, hours after a bipartisan group of South Florida members of Congress said the region's recovering from Irma could be hindered by the FEMA decision to exclude Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Individual assistance is provided to people who need housing when they leave shelters and can't go home. It's administered by states, but only people in counties that are designated by FEMA are eligible for the program.

President Donald Trump's "major disaster declaration" on Sept. 10 included all 67 Florida counties on the list of eligible counties for public assistance. At first, only nine counties -- including Miami-Dade -- were included on the list of eligible counties for individual assistance. Now the list includes 16 counties.

The determination is up to FEMA, which decides based on hurricane forecasts, according to a statement from the concerned members of Congress. Even though counties on the state's East Coast were forecast to experience severe wind and water damage from the hurricane, they were not authorized for individual assistance.

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat who represents most of Broward and southeast Palm Beach County, began working to change the FEMA decision on Sunday evening -- while tropical storm force winds were still battering South Florida.

"Over the last day I spent many hours on the phone urging the White House, FEMA, and the Governor's Office to consider the widespread damage in Palm Beach and Broward counties. I'm grateful for their cooperation, and I'm now thrilled to see that FEMA amended the major disaster declaration to include these counties on a list of eligible counties for Individual Assistance," Deutch said in a written statement. "As the storm finally leaves our state, residents will need all the help they can get as they begin the long rebuilding process."

On Monday, he and U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson and Lois Frankel, all Democrats, and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican, expressed their concern publicly. Among them, the six represent all of Broward, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.

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Even though the counties weren't subjected to the eye of the hurricane, the congressional delegation said their constituents experienced hurricane-force gusts of wind, tornadoes, severe storm surge and flooding, and damage to homes, loss of power, and impassable roads.

"When a hurricane stretches over 400 miles across the state, there is going to be devastation whether the eye crosses the county or not. Residents of Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, as well as residents of other counties not included on the list, have experienced severe wind and water damage to their homes and property," the members of Congress said.

Deutch's office said people can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362. People who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY can call (800) 462-7584. Those who use 711 or video relay service can call (800) 621-3362.

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aman@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4550

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