Florida Requests Federal Major Disaster Declaration After Hurricane Isaias
Governor Ron DeSantis announced on October 16 that the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) has submitted a request to President Donald Trump for a Major Disaster Declaration following Hurricane Isaias. The request seeks Public Assistance for 15 counties in Northwest Florida and Individual Assistance for eligible residents in eight designated counties.
'As recovery efforts continue, Florida has submitted a Major Disaster Declaration request to the federal government. We are requesting Public and Individual Assistance to help support Panhandle residents, local governments, and infrastructure affected by the storm,' DeSantis said. He added that the state is partnering with Emergency RV to provide temporary housing for Floridians displaced by Isaias, so families can keep living in their communities with as little disruption as possible while they rebuild.
Santa Rosa County residents have filed more than 2,500 damage reports with the Property Appraiser totaling over $165 million in estimated private property losses, with more than 80 structures classified as destroyed and around 300 sustaining major damage, the Pensacola News Journal reported. The city of Milton estimates $15 million in damage to city property, and Escambia County's early estimate of public damage is $64 million. The state formally filed the request at 8 p.m. on October 15, and DeSantis said he had submitted the request but had not yet spoken directly with President Trump about it.
'Our teams have worked tirelessly to document the impacts of Hurricane Isaias and identify the needs of affected communities,' said FDEM Executive Director Jared Perdue. 'We remain focused on supporting recovery efforts and working with our federal partners to secure the additional assistance Floridians need to recover.' (GSM, based on the state announcement)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：佛州德斯坦海滩实景（飓风伊萨亚斯吹袭的狭长地带一带）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（M.Fitzsimmons 摄），CC BY-SA 3.0。Photo: 佛州德斯坦海滩实景（飓风伊萨亚斯吹袭的狭长地带一带）. Source: Wikimedia Commons (M.Fitzsimmons), CC BY-SA 3.0.
