President Barack Obama has made Florida eligible for disaster aid in eight counties as the state continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Matthew.
According to the White House Press Secretary, the decision came Saturday, when President Obama declared a major disaster existed in Florida.
“Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Nassau, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Terry L. Quarles as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.”
According to FEMA, damage surveys are continuing in other areas. Once assessments are finished, more counties and additional forms of assistance will be issued if needed.
While the federal government approved portions of Governor Rick Scott’s request for a major declaration for Florida, they have not approved funding for individual assistance for permanent work to government buildings, roads and parks.
They have approved the declaration of debris removal and emergency protective measures, according to the governor’s office.
“While we are blessed that Hurricane Matthew did not make landfall in Florida, there has been significant damage all across Florida’s east coast. For the past three days, I have toured our east coast communities from Brevard County all the way to the Florida/Georgia line and have seen homes wiped out, severe beach erosion, flood damage and down trees and power lines. While the state is helping our communities any way we can, I am going to continue to fight for every available resource from the federal government so our families and businesses can rebuild and get back to normal. We are going to continue to submit requests to the federal government until they fulfill our entire disaster declaration.” – Governor Scott
