Port St. Lucie, Fla. – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today announced that St. Lucie County has been designated for FEMA Individual Assistance.  Earlier this week, Rep. Mast called for FEMA to designate St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach County.  Palm Beach County was designated for individual assistance on Monday, September 11, 2017.

“As I saw on my flight with the Coast Guard yesterday, parts of St. Lucie County are in serious need of assistance,”  Rep. Mast said.  “This is great news for families in St. Lucie County that need help, and I’m going to continue fighting to get Martin County added to the list.”

The September 10, 2017 Major Disaster Declaration included all 67 Florida counties in the list of eligible counties for Public Assistance; however, only nine counties were initially included for federal assistance to individuals and households.

Information for residents in St. Lucie and Palm Beach County:

FEMA Disaster Assistance can help support your recovery from a major disaster. FEMA can provide housing assistance to individuals and families who have lost their homes or experienced significant damage as a result of Hurricane Irma. If you are a renter or homeowner you may qualify for assistance. By law, FEMA assistance cannot duplicate the assistance you receive from your insurance company, but you may receive assistance for items not covered by insurance.

The items that can be covered include:

• Temporary housing
• Lodging expenses reimbursement
• Home repair
• Home replacement
• Disaster-caused child care expenses.
• Disaster-caused medical and dental expenses.
• Disaster-caused damages to essential household items
• Fuel for the primary heat source
• Clean-up items
• Disaster-caused damage to an essential vehicle.
• Moving and storage expenses caused by the disaster

If you need disaster assistance from FEMA, you can apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or register on the phone at 1-800-621-3362.

You will receive a call from FEMA within approximately 10 days of submitting your application to schedule an appointment for a home inspector to visit you. If you qualify for a grant, FEMA will provide you a check by mail or a direct deposit into your bank account along with a letter describing how you are able to use the money. If they determine that you do not qualify, you will have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

###