Half a billion in FEMA relief and five disaster centers in Florida.

Hurricane Ian was more of a climate storm than any other. The map of Florida is changing as I write this and there is more land lost to flooding in now three weeks since the hurricane.

Sure the hurricane has passed, but, it was assisted by sea level rise to impact Florida permanently.

October 16, 2022

FEMA is providing (click here) rental assistance, hotel stays, repair assistance, reimbursement for temporary lodging and other forms of support for Floridians affected by Hurricane Ian who can’t live in their homes.

Disaster Survivor Assistance specialists are going door-to-door in Florida neighborhoods to help individuals register for assistance. These teams have interacted with 26,500 individuals.

FEMA will pay hotel and motel costs for eligible survivors. FEMA and the state of Florida activated the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program, which allows FEMA to make payments directly to participating hotels and motels in Alabama, Florida and Georgia that provide emergency shelter to survivors. As of today, the program is providing housing for 1,256 households with 3,233 members.FEMA has made individual assistance available to 26 counties in Florida. Residents in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam....

There is just no argument. The melting that is occurring in Antarctica and in Greenland is causing storms such as Ian to far higher storm surges. Not only are there the wind driven waters, but, also the waters now find its way inland with paths opened by the storm. These lands will fill with water and will not be recoverable.

October 4, 2022

by Ben Clarke and Friederike Otto

Greenland Ice Melt (click here)

...On reaching the coast of Florida, (click here) Ian made landfall as a category 4 storm with winds of up to 249km/h (155mph) as well as storm surges and torrential rain.

But Ian wasn't finished there. The hurricane carved a path of destruction across the state before sweeping back out to sea, where it refueled and turned northwards, striking South Carolina and driving deeper into the U.S....

Florida was created and not actual land when real estate was developed. There are a lot of sink holes because there were drained swamps replaced with concrete and dirt fill for lawns, roads and communities. Florida has a high level of water intrusion with this storm and it isn't going to resolve. To believe it is a good idea to reclaim the land and make the same mistake all over again is foolish. People need to realize the climate crisis is doing immense damage and they need to move on. That may hold true for businesses as well. 

This is a USGS map of the Florida substrate (click here). The blue is all limestone and the yellow clay and mud. With water intrusion these lands are vulnerable to permanent instability and flooding.

Map color key (click here)

(from the article above)

...Scientists have studied the rainfall from several recent storms and consistently confirmed this pattern. The rainfall totals from Hurricanes Katrina, Irma, Maria, Harvey, Dorian and Florence were all made more intense by climate change....

The way I look at land reclamation, is the survivability this time as opposed to next time. Not all land should be recovered. 

October 12, 2022

By Maria Martin

Tallahassee – The state of Florida (click here) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have opened two additional Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC), one in Polk County and one in Seminole County.

Polk County

W.H. Stuart Center, 1702 S. Holland Pkwy, Bartow, FL 33830

Seminole County

Seminole State College - Barbara Miller Automotive Center, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773

The Centers are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

Disaster Recovery Centers provide disaster survivors with information from Florida state agencies, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance and disaster loans, update applications and learn about other resources available.

Counties eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance include Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns and Volusia. Impacted residents can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov....