Jacksonville, FL — While many First Coast cities and counties are still waiting for FEMA reimbursement from Hurricane Matthew last year, they’re getting a new boost in what will be eligible for reimbursement from Irma this year.
The federal government expanded the major disaster declaration for almost two dozen Florida counties- including the Jacksonville-metro area. This means governments can now seek assistance in covering the costs of roads and bridges, water control facilities, buildings and equipment, utilities, and parks and recreational areas damaged by Irma.
“It is a very important part of the recovery process for St. Johns County, and our municipalities will also benefit from this program,” says St. Johns County Emergency Management Director Linda Stoughton.
Public Assistance could ultimately mean the federal government covers 75% of the cost of the damage, while the State and County split the remaining 25% evenly. Stoughton says they’ve had infrastructure damaged by the storm- including some roads and buildings- that they can now seek funding for because of this expansion. But it’s not quick or easy.
“This is a long-term process. It goes on for years with FEMA- to first develop a project, and then receive reimbursement,” Stoughton says.
Stoughton says they’re still waiting reimbursements from Hurricane Matthew last year. Because their damage assessment from Irma is still ongoing, she’s unable to say how it compares to Matthew, at this time.
They did learn lessons after that storm, though- Stoughton says they made sure to document everything before, during, and in the aftermath of the storm, to make the FEMA process go smoother. While she knows the federal agency is dealing with multiple natural disasters right now, she’s hoping things move along more quickly this time.
“We certainly always hope it’s faster. We certainly communicated that to FEMA, and to the state of Florida, that we need to try and expedite money coming back to the community,” Stoughton says.
A federal report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General issued this week found the County needed more technical assistance from the state to ensure compliance wiht FEMA grant requirements. The report found that- in filing after Hurricane Matthew last year- St. Johns County’s policies, procedures, and business practices are all adequate for receiving FEMA grant funding, but County officials had a range of technical questions and said Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and FEMA were not “readily available” to assist them.
“Florida officials acknowledged that the agency’s guidance had not been optimal and said that the agency has reorganized to improve its service. Florida is responsible for ensuring that the County is aware of and follows Federal regulations, and it is FEMA’s responsibility to hold Florida accountable. Therefore, Florida, as FEMA’s grant recipient, should provide additional technical assistance and monitoring to ensure the County complies with Federal grant requirements,” the report says.
The report says FEMA estimates St. Johns County’s damage from Hurricane Matthew to be $43.3 million, including $10 million in damages to the beaches.
The OIG says they discussed their recommendation with the County, Florida, and FEMA during their audit, and all parties agreed with the finding.
On several occasions since Irma, federal lawmakers from the area have voiced their commitment to cutting back the bureaucracy and reimbursing municipalities more quickly following storms.
In terms of reimbursements for Irma this year, all of our local counties were already granted Public Assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures. Individual assistance- which is where you file claims for personal property damage- has also been granted.
Nassau County says it’s helpful to have the expansion, but the vast majority of the costs they’re expecting to have incurred as a County government from the storm were already covered under the debris removal and protective measures, according to Emergency Manager Billy Estep. As the flood waters continue to recede, they are constantly assessing any new damage, but their initial estimate is that the storm caused more than $9 million in damage. Most of that was done to private property, though.
We’ve reached out to other area government to examine the impact of the expansion on their recovery efforts and will update as that information becomes available.
If you're looking at filing for personal assistance through FEMA, there are many resources across the First Coast- including a Disaster Recovery Center in St. Johns County. Nassau County Emergency Management also wants to make sure all of your questions and storm-related needs are getting addressed, so they're asking you to call 904-548-0900 if you have any unmet needs.
