FEMA will hold a town hall meeting to provide answers for assistance

DUNBAR, Fla. — There will be representatives available to answer any questions you may have about the FEMA procedure as well as temporary housing.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and National Flood Insurance are going to provide updates on the recovery efforts in Southwest Florida after the storm tonight at Dunbar High School.

The Government Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stated earlier today that the state of Florida would receive more than one billion dollars in federal grants, catastrophe loans, and flood insurance payouts. More than $545 million has been granted to families, with FEMA contributing an additional $302 million to the state.

According to FEMA, the most common complaint they get from survivors is that they receive refusal letters after seeking aid. Most of the time, the applicants’ insurance is what causes them to be denied.

“When people have insurance, because we cannot duplicate what you’re entitled to to your insurance company, we can’t duplicate those funds,” said Mike Wade, a spokesperson for FEMA. “That has a tendency to hold up the FEMA process until they provide us with documentation to show they were paid by the insurance company.”

Applicants who have been denied assistance should contact FEMA or go to a disaster recovery center, according to Wade, who also recommends this course of action. Currently, the state is home to 15 disaster recovery centers spread out throughout its many regions.

The following counties have one or more of these centers: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Lake, Lee (with two sites), Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, and Volusia. There are plans to establish a greater number of facilities in the coming days. As centers are added, real-time locations will be updated online right here.