Hurricane season officially ends on November 30, however, recovery efforts are still underway.
This year Hurricane Idalia caused an estimated $3-to-5-billion in losses when it crashed into the Big Bend at the end of August. Lawmakers doled out more than $288 million during a special legislative session for hurricane Idalia-related recovery. Now, they are expected to allocate even more in the regular session that begins in January.
Officials say the rural, financially constrained counties impacted by the storm will need more help.
State Emergency Management officials are also looking for ways to increase their partnerships with rural counties as they look ahead to preparing for the next storm.
As the 2023 hurricane season wraps up, FEMA’s remaining disaster recovery centers are preparing to close. November 29th is the deadline to apply for FEMA financial assistance post-hurricane Idalia. Help following through with applications will remain available through FEMA’s helpline and mobile app.
