The Federal Emergency Management Agency has raised the federal cost share for funding assistance, potentially making millions more dollars available to Florida authorities for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts in Florida, the agency said Wednesday.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a bulletin that President Biden had authorized the agency to raise the federal government’s cost share, from 75% to 90% of total eligible costs, leaving Florida agencies to cover just 10%. The action raises the amount of money that will be reimbursed to Florida state government operations and will be retroactive, a FEMA spokesperson said.
The storm, which struck Florida with winds, storm surge and flooding in late September 2022, killed some 140 people and forced 33,000 out of their homes, Criswell noted. Since then, FEMA and other federal programs have provided some $8.7 billion in relief, including: $1.1 billion in FEMA grants to 386,000 households; almost $2 billion in disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses; $4.4 billion from the National Flood Insurance Program, for 47,300 claims; and FEMA has pledged $1.8 billion to reimburse state and local applicants for emergency response, debris removal and repair or replacement of public facilities, the agency said.
Photo: Part of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, two days after Hurricane Ian made landfall. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
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