In response to Hurricane Ian, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has created a portal for Florida residents to use if they are in need of housing or repairs to their homes due to the storm. The Unite Florida Recovery Portal helps the State of Florida connect with its residents about how they are in need of assistance and how the Florida government can give back to the community.
Hurricane Ian hit Central and South Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, as a Category 4 storm, leaving 109 people dead and many homes and businesses destroyed. Fort Myers and Sanibel Islands were among the areas with the worst damage. This is the second worst storm to hit the United States in the 21st century aside from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Insurance losses from the hurricane are estimated to be anywhere from 50 billion to 65 billion dollars, covering more than half of the insurance losses for the entire year.
According to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, this portal is estimated to help 10,000 families locate a temporary shelter while waiting for their homes to be rebuilt during the storm. The portal also gives the chance to those who have needs that have not been met yet to report them including transportation, home items and other social services.
One of the benefits of this program Gov. DeSantis has been working on is making sure that it is “user-friendly” and it is a smooth operating website.
“Southwest Floridians have a long road to recovery ahead of them, and my administration is working hard to ensure we’re making that process as smooth as possible,” Gov. DeSantis stated during a press release when asked about the program. To get relief, Florida residents would go to IanRecovery.fl.gov, fill out some basic information and describe what help they are in need of. The two options to choose from include either “Housing” relief or “Other Unmet Needs” following a request for a type of service. For specific services, it is stated that one may have to register for FEMA, but that does not apply to all assistance. Based on what one fills out in the portal, one can see if FEMA enrollment is required.
If one needs a temporary place to live, Kevin Guthrie said that they are working with hotels to get people set up in a room in order for them to stay for an extended period of time. If at that time the hotels that Florida is working with fill out, then they will start relocating Floridians to trailer mobile homes. Right now, there are about 3,000 trailers that are being set up to be suitable temporary homes for people in need. These hotels will provide temporary shelter for six months at a time and can be either in Florida or if requested, in a different part of the country if one has family in other parts.
Making sure that the site is user-friendly helps ensure that people will not be deterred from using it because it is too difficult or seems like a hassle to participate in. At this time, South Florida still requires extensive recovery efforts, and the State of Florida is ensuring that they are helping out its residents and communities in need.