Hurricane Ian Resources | Florida Realtors

Latest disaster updates

Click here for the most recent information regarding things such as businesses offering services and assistance to Floridians affected by Hurricane Ian. Information includes:

• Accomodation and lodging partners
• Major retailers offering assistance
• State partnerships, including updates from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing), 

Click here for the latest from the State Emergency Response Team. Information includes:

• Road and bridge updates
• Shelter openings and statuses
• Emergency services request for missing persons
• Emergency food and water resources, county by county
• Power outages
• Boil-water notices
• Most recent press releases

Click here for essential information for Lee, Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hendry, and Glades County, provided by WZVN-TV, ABC7.

FEMA assistance

Federal disaster assistance is available to affected individuals in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Seminole counties following the impact of Hurricane Ian.

Survivors can apply for disaster assistance at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time, or by using the FEMA mobile app. If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

When you apply for assistance, have the following information ready: 

• A current phone number where you can be contacted
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying
• Your Social Security number
• A general list of damage and losses
• Banking information if you choose direct deposit
• If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

Survivors may be eligible to receive assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses resulting from the Hurricane Ian. If you have homeowners, renters or flood insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your disaster expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.

Take photos to document damage and begin cleanup and repairs to prevent further damage. Remember to keep receipts from all purchases related to the cleanup and repair.

Disaster assistance may include financial help with temporary lodging and home repairs, as well as other disaster-related expenses.

Insurance companies

Click here for phone numbers, websites and email addresses for property insurance companies serving Florida. Unless they need emergency repairs, policyholders are urged to first contact their insurers with damage claims before signing over their benefits rights to repair contractors. Most of the companies listed enable policyholders to initiate claims at their websites. 

Unemployment benefits 

Disasater unemployment assistance (DUA)  is available to Florida businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of Hurricane Ian. Individuals affected in the designated-disaster areas must file DUA applications by December 30, 2022. Applications filed after the deadline will be considered untimely, and DUA benefits may be denied unless the individual provides good cause. Click here to learn more and apply.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available to those who:

• Worked or were self-employed or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment;
• Are not able to work or perform services because of physical damage of destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster;
• Can establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their principal source of income; 
• Do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits from any state;
• Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Became the breadwinner or major supporter of a household because the former breadwinner’s death occurred as a result of the major disaster.

Small-business assistance loans

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans are now available to businesses and residents in Florida following the Hurricane Ian disaster declaration. Applicants may apply at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov under declaration #17644. For help, call 800-659-2955 or email [email protected].

Eligible counties include Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota, Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole, as well as the contiguous counties of Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Brevard, Lake, Volusia, Indian River, Okeechobee and Sumter.

The Florida SBDC Network can also help your business recover from a disaster. In addition, the SBDC and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity partner on the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, an interest-free, short-term loan program to help businesses recover quickly after a disaster.

Additional resources

Florida Disaster Contractors Network: Florida’s Disaster Contractors Network (DCN) has been activated to provide support to homeowners in need of post-Hurricane Ian home repairs. This is a free service founded in part by the state agency that regulates Florida’s construction industry, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Its mission is simple – connect homeowners needing emergency repairs with licensed contractors and construction suppliers.

Power outages: The latest power outage numbers listed by county and by provider.