Florida - Thursday October 06, 2022: A week after widespread flooding in Florida from Hurricane Ian, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program policyholders are beginning to receive funds to help jumpstart their recovery.
To date, FEMA has provided $3.5 million in advance payments to policyholders who have started the claim process.
FEMA has also taken steps to ease burdens on its policyholders as they begin to clean up and repair, including allowing some who need to renew policies to take advantage of flood insurance benefits.
“We know that rebuilding after a flood can be difficult,” said David Maurstad, Deputy Associate Administrator for Resilience and senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program. “We want to remove as many obstacles as possible and ease our customers’ burden to help them recover more quickly. Regardless of how much flooding your home experienced, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program stands ready to assist its policyholders.”
To learn more about how to file a flood insurance claim visit floodsmart.gov or view this video.
More Time for Policyholders
There are NFIP policies in Florida where the renewal date has passed, but you may be able to take steps that will reinstate your policy and receive coverage for flood damage from Hurricane Ian. Policyholders in Florida who had flood damage from the hurricane now have a 90-day grace period to renew their policies.
The extension applies to policies with renewal dates beginning Aug. 25, through and including Oct. 23. Policyholders whose NFIP policy renewal date is within this range should contact their agent or insurance company.
Additionally, the NFIP has extended the proof of loss requirement for policyholders who suffered flood damage from Hurricane Ian from the standard 60 days to 365 days from the date of loss.
The NFIP also authorized its Write Your Own insurance company partners and the NFIP Direct to pay claims based on the adjuster’s report, without requiring policyholders to sign a proof of loss. When a policyholder seeks additional payment for any reason, they may still submit a signed proof of loss to the insurer. Policyholders can submit a signed proof of loss later if they need to request an additional payment or if they disagree with the adjuster’s report.
Payments
In the Hurricane Ian affected states, as of Oct. 4, FEMA has received more than 25,000 NFIP claims and has pushed out over $3.5 million in advance payments for many of these policyholders. Policyholders affected by Hurricane Ian can now receive between $5,000 and $20,000 with documentation prior to an inspection by an adjuster. Policyholders are encouraged to talk with their insurer about how to receive an advance payment to help jumpstart their recovery.
“The NFIP is committed to processing claims quickly and fairly,” said Maurstad. “We remain in close coordination with our Write Your Own insurance companies, the NFIP Direct and the state insurance commissioners’ offices to ensure that policyholders are paid every dollar owed for covered flood loss.”
Anyone affected by Hurricane Ian who has an NFIP flood insurance policy and has suffered flood damage should begin filing their claim now. Evacuated policyholders can still start their claim and provide specifics later, once local officials say it’s safe to return home.
Policyholders can start their claim by contacting their flood insurance agent or company. Those who don’t know who their insurance agent or company is may call 877-336-2627.
How FEMA is Helping Floridians
* FEMA will begin directly paying hotel and motel costs to house survivors from the hardest hit counties. FEMA approved Florida’s request for Transitional Sheltering Assistance. Survivors in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Osceola and Sarasota counties can participate. FEMA directly pays hotel costs at participating hotels and motels in Alabama, Florida and Georgia that provide emergency shelter to survivors.
* Nearly 300 Disaster Survivor Assistance specialists are going door-to-door in Florida to help survivors apply for assistance. The teams are in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia counties. These teams have helped nearly 250,000 survivors apply for assistance.
* FEMA and state partners are continuing to open Disaster Recovery Centers across the state. FEMA and its state partners opened a center in Lee County, and two more centers will be opening in Ft. Myers and North Port. Additional centers will open in the weeks to come. Centers are accessible offices staffed by state, federal and volunteer organizations that let everyone access recovery information. As centers are added, real-time locations will be updated at FloridaDisaster.org.
* Lee County Disaster Recovery Center, Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers, FL 33919
* FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program is issuing advance payments. To date, Florida policyholders have received $3.5 million to help Floridians jumpstart their recoveries.
* Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available to eligible survivors. Floridians should file a claim for loss of income caused by Hurricane Ian by going to Disaster Unemployment Assistance - FloridaJobs.org and select “Apply for Hurricane Ian DUA,” visit a local CareerSource Career Center, or call 800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.
* FEMA’s feeding partners have served 1 million meals to survivors. FEMA’s partners, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Operation BBQ, and the Southern Baptist Church, have field kitchens and canteens in the hardest hit counties that are operational. More sites are coming.
* More than 4,700 people and 200 pets have been rescued by federal, state and local teams. Visit missing.fl.gov if you or someone you know needs assistance or a safety check. Safe and found persons can be reported safe at safe.fl.gov. Rescue efforts and power restoration, with a focus on hospitals, healthcare facilities and barrier island communities continue to be top priorities.
* More than 2,800 FEMA staff are supporting Ian response efforts. More than 1,300 other federal staff are assisting with the Ian response. More than 1,800 emergency management personnel from 26 states were deployed to Florida through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
* FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program Florida policyholders who had flood damage from the hurricane now have a 90-day window to renew their policies. The extension applies to policies with renewal dates beginning Aug. 25 through Oct. 23. Policyholders whose policy renewal date is in this range should contact their agent or insurance company.
* FEMA also extended the proof of loss requirement for flood insurance policyholders in Florida who suffered flood damage from Hurricane Ian from 60 to 365 days.
* FEMA approved Critical Needs Assistance for disaster survivors who have immediate or critical needs because they are displaced from their primary dwelling. Immediate or critical needs are life- saving and life-sustaining items. This assistance is a one-time payment of $700 per household.