Hurricane Preparedness - Recovery Relief Assistance

Emergency Personnel: County and city employees will be focused on search and rescue and damage assessments. They cannot provide food, water, gasoline or financial assistance during this time period. Expect little, if any, support from the state and federal government and utilities agencies during the first three days as they mobilize their resources.

After the initial 72 hours, state and federal agencies will begin providing food, water and ice to areas that can be reached. City and county crews will begin clearing streets of debris so that emergency vehicles, work crews and civilian vehicles can get through.

When the area is stabilized, long-term recovery begins with business restoration, building repairs and interim long-term housing for those who lost homes.

In the months that follow, state and federal governments will set up sites to take insurance and financial aid claims such as long-term housing, and loans for reconstruction and small business.

File Insurance Claims:

You may need to access the coverage of both your homeowners and automobile policies to put things back together. Be sure to:

• Immediately report property damage to your insurance agent. Your agent should provide you with claim forms and arrange for an insurance adjuster to visit your property and assess the damage.
• Make emergency or temporary repairs and document them. Keep all receipts and take photographs of the damages, before and after an emergency repair, to submit your claim.
• If the damages require you to leave your home, secure your property, remove valuable items, lock windows and doors and leave contact information with your insurance agent.
• Check with your local building or permitting office to determine if repairs require a permit.

Know Your Rights:

Criminals may prey on your vulnerability after a storm. Know your rights as a consumer and don't let your eagerness to make repairs leave you a victim.

• Be cautious of anyone coming to your home uninvited and offering to do home repairs.
• Be alert to individuals canvassing your neighborhood in an unmarked van or truck.
• Insist on a written estimate and get estimates from several companies.
• Be sure the contract or business card has an address, telephone number and license numbers.
• Ask for references and check them out.
• Insist on start and completion dates in the contract.
• Do not pay the final balance for work performed until it is completed to your satisfaction.

Contact the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services for more information at (727) 464-6200.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may establish Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the county. These centers are kept open and running as long as necessary to serve the public. Depending on the storm's severity, assistance may include:

• Temporary housing
• Low interest small business loans
• Unemployment assistance
• Individual and family grants
• Crisis counseling

  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• FEMA
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• FEMA Internet Registration
  FEMA Phone Registration:
     • 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
     • TTY 1-800-462-7585 (speech & hearing impaired)

  Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

• Tax Relief in Disaster Situations
  

  US Department of Homeland Security

• READYBusiness - Steps to Prepare for a Disaster

  USDA Agricultural Disaster Assistance

• USDA

  Florida Division of Emergency Management

• Information For Business
• Disaster Essentials for Floridians
• Florida County Emergency Management Websites
• Volunteer Florida - The Governor's Commission on Volunteerism & Community Service

• Florida Business Disaster Survival Kit by various federal, state and county governments
• Business owners can apply for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance. To apply for Small Business Administration loans, call the SBA Helpline at 1-800-359-2227 or go to www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/hurricane.html.

• For assistance with relocation or the aftermath of storm damage, contact the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter at (813) 348-4820 for information.
• Government Benefit Programs
  
• To give or receive help or for information on assistance not covered by the American Red Cross, call 2-1-1/Tampa Bay Cares by dialing the three digits from any phone. For information on the Internet, go to www.211tampabay.org/
• Salvation Army
• United Way of Tampa Bay