See how much money FEMA has paid to residents in your county after Hurricane Ian

Staff Report
·2 min read
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has paid more than $714 million in individual assistance to victims of Hurricane Ian in Florida, according to newly released figures. The money was given to households in 26 counties designated by federal authorities as disaster areas following the historic storm.

The FEMA funds go to disaster victims who applied and qualified for financial assistance to help pay for replacing or making repairs to their home, or rental payments. The money also covers replacement of essential household items and other disaster-related expenses, like car repairs, childcare or temporary lodging.

Payments to victims in Lee County, where Ian made landfall with 15 feet of storm surge, dwarfed other counties in Florida. Victims there so far have received more than $290 million, or about 40% of the total distributed. The next highest areas were a mix of counties closer to Ian's landfall point and those that saw serious flooding as Ian passed across Florida. Volusia County was second in assistance ($64 million), followed by Charlotte ($59 million), Orange (almost $51 million) and Sarasota ($48 million).

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Fort Myers Beach, along with Lee County’s other barrier islands, took the brunt of Ian’s assault on Florida’s coastline. The storm, a Category 4 when it made landfall Sept. 28 at 3:05 p.m. near Cayo Costa, sent 150 mph winds and a towering storm surge tearing through the town’s center.

Ian pummeled the state with crushing storm surge, obliterating wind speeds and torrential rainfall, leaving a swath of devastation from the southwestern coast across the I-4 corridor. The hurricane, the fifth-most powerful to ever hit the U.S., left countless homes and businesses wrecked or underwater and nearly 2.7 million people without power.

Here is a map showing the amount of money residents in each county received through FEMA’s individual assistance program, followed by a county by county list:

More than $1.88 billion in federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments has been provided to the state of Florida and households to help survivors jumpstart their recovery after Hurricane Ian.

In addition to the $714 million in individual assistance to households, FEMA said this week it sent the Florida $322 million for emergency response; $533 million in disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration; and paid $313 million in claims under the National Flood Insurance Program.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FEMA pays $714 million in assistance to Floridians after Ian