Escambia County Receives FEMA Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Isaias Individual Assistance

Escambia County has received a FEMA Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance for Hurricane Isaias, which will allow those who have been impacted by Hurricane Isaias to apply for assistance for housing, home repairs, and other disaster-related needs.

Residents will be able to apply soon at DisasterAssistance.gov. Please note that the application portal is not currently live, but the website will be updated once it is available.

With this announcement, Escambia County residents impacted by Hurricane Isaias will now have access to critical FEMA programs, including housing assistance, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance, and disaster legal services and case management. For more information about FEMA Individual Assistance, click here.

To file a claim for assistance, you must first register with FEMA in one of the following ways:

• Call the FEMA Helpline 1-800-621-3362 (TTY# 1-800-462-7585). The toll-free numbers are open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
• Register online at DisasterAssistance.gov, enter your location and click on "Apply Online"
• Download the FEMA app on your mobile device and register using the app.

FEMA will verify eligibility and need before assistance is offered.

It is important to understand that by law, FEMA can't provide benefits for losses covered by insurance. However, individuals with insurance may still qualify for FEMA assistance for items not covered by insurance.

For frequently asked questions about FEMA assistance, click here.

Escambia County is one of eight Florida counties to secure a Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Isaias authorizing Individual Assistance, along with Bay, Gulf, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington.

Escambia County is also approved for FEMA Public Assistance to support eligible emergency response and recovery costs, including repairs to disaster-damaged public facilities.