Florida Division of Emergency Management Encourages Houses of Worship to Apply for FEMA Public Assistance Ahead of Deadline
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (Division) encouraged eligible houses of worship to apply for FEMA Public Assistance ahead of the October 30 deadline. This assistance can help pay for emergency protective measures and restoration of facilities damaged by Hurricane Idalia.
“Faith-based organizations play a critical role in response and recovery after disasters by providing direct support to individuals in need,” said Division Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “As we continue to support the recovery efforts of Hurricane Idalia affected communities, I urge houses of worship to reach out to FEMA for aid and continue to rebuild for a more resilient Florida.”
Houses of worship are considered private, nonprofit organizations as they provide an essential social services to disaster-impacted areas. This specific category of nonprofits must submit a loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance program before applying for FEMA Public Assistance. Houses of worship are not required to take out a loan, but FEMA will not fund repairs unless an SBA loan application has been denied or does not cover the permanent work costs.
Category B Public assistance is currently available for Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla counties. The deadline for these entities to apply is October 30, 2023.
For more information on public assistance for houses of worship, email: fema-dr-4734-flhousesofworship@fema.dhs.gov.
For updates and recovery resources for Hurricane Idalia visit: FloridaDisaster.org/updates.
Follow the Division @FLSERT for more information, on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.