Information to Help You in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
Latest disaster updates
Helene Claims Up, New Storm Eyed (10/3/2024)
Helene: RE License Renewals Extended (10/2/2024)
Helene Insurance Claims Top $434M, Aid Opens (10/1/2024)
Recovery Resources for Hurricane Helene Victims (9/30/2024)
Hurricane Helene Resources: What You Need Now (9/27/2024)
Hurricane Helene: Disaster Relief Fund Now Open (9/26/2024)
Florida Prepares for Storm Impacts (9/25/2024)
Prepare Now: Tropical System Moving into Gulf (9/24/2024)
Florida Realtors Disaster Relief Fund: There When You Need It
FEMA assistance
Apply for FEMA assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply using the FEMA mobile app or by calling FEMA's helpline toll-free at 800-621-3362. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property losses or other disaster-caused needs. Homeowners and renters in Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties can apply.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) are accessible facilities and mobile offices you can visit to learn more about FEMA and other disaster assistance programs. You may also visit to ask questions about your case. DRCs are set up in convenient areas after a disaster to make them easier to find. Click here to locate one near you.
Bridge loans available
FloridaCommerce activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $15 million available for businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. Florida small business owners in need of assistance can apply at FloridaJobs.org/EBL.
Businesses in the following counties, including sole proprietors, are eligible to apply: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.
Real estate license renewal extended
Real estate agents, brokers, corporations and others that had a September deadline for licensure renewal now have until the end of October due to Hurricane Helene, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations said. The deadline extension to Oct. 31 applies to the following Division of Real Estate licenses: sales associates, broker sales associates, brokers, corporate brokers, partnerships, corporations and branch offices. Any existing renewal conditions related to the completion of hours of continuing education are also suspended, the department said. Licenses renewed on or before Oct. 31 will be considered as timely renewals and not assessed any late fees.
Insurance protections
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Searchable Database of Florida insurance providers (including property)
Insurance Information Institute: Hurricane insurance FAQ: What your insurance does—and does not—cover
Insurance claims: Insurance companies must respond to a claim within seven calendar days and make a determination on that claim within 60 days. Click here for a complete list of Florida insurers.
For the National Flood Insurance Program, call 877-336-2627.
Hold on insurance cancellations: The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation also issued an order protecting policyholders in 26 counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. The order:
- Extends grace periods for any policy, provision, notice, correspondence or law that imposes a time limit upon an insured to perform any act until November 26, 2024.
- Prohibits the cancellation or nonrenewal of a policy in an impacted area, except at the written request of the policyholder, until November 26, 2024.
- Prohibits the cancellation or nonrenewal of a personal residential or commercial residential property insurance policy covering a property repaired as a result of damage from Hurricane Helene for a period of 90 days after it has been repaired.
- Directs insurers, surplus lines and other regulated entities to implement processes and procedures to facilitate the efficient payment of claims.
The order applies to all insurers in the state and policyholders in Alachua, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Franklin, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.
Disaster unemployment available
FloridaCommerce announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to Hurricane Helene.
DUA-eligible Floridians (those who are not eligible for regular state or federal Reemployment Assistance benefits) can submit a claim at FloridaJobs.org.
FloridaCommerce is accepting applications for DUA from residents and businesses in Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla Counties. Individuals must meet one of the following conditions:
- Unemployment is a direct result of the major disaster
- Was scheduled to start employment but was unable to as a direct result of the major disaster
- Is unable to reach their job or self-employment location because the individual has to travel through an affected area and is prevented from doing so as a direct result of the major disaster
- Has become the primary breadwinner because the head of the household died as a direct result of the major disaster
- Is unable to work because of an injury that was a direct result of the major disaster
Housing help
Emergency shelters: Shelters are open for temporary, immediate-need housing.
Florida Housing Finance Corp.: Works with state and federal officials to provide information on disaster relief and recovery resources and information.
Florida Housing: This free state resource for renters and property managers in Florida features dynamic search options can help you find available rental housing that fits your needs and income.
HurricaneHomes.org: Local Realtor associations are building a safe platform for the community to access rentals for temporary housing in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island. The website, HurricaneHomes.org, will be available in the coming days and provides listings for housing whose properties have been vetted as reliable, safe, and clean. The listings are given by Realtors in the area.
Operation Blue Roof: Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Operation Blue Roof provides homeowners and permanently occupied rental properties in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until arrangements can be made for permanent repairs.
Home and business repairs: Before hiring a contractor, verify the individual or company is licensed and insured at www.myfloridalicense.com. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody also suggests getting multiple estimates and keeping alert for red flags.
Mortgage assistance
Mortgages must still be paid after a hurricane, but Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA have programs to help after a disaster – providing homeowners request it. Click here to learn more.
Additional resources
Disaster Legal Hotline is open to assist and refer callers: 833-514-2940
Samaritan’s Purse hotline: 1-833-747-1234 free assistance for homeowners affected by the disaster. Volunteers may be able to assist with removal of personal property and furniture, flood cleanup, sanitizing with shockwave treatment, chainsaw work and debris clean-up, temporary roof tarping.
Red Cross Hotline is open to assist: 1-800-Red Cross
Florida Baptists Disaster Relief Public Assistance: 904-253-0502 or text Helene to 27123. Free assistance for homeowners affected by the disaster. Volunteers may be able to assist with storm debris cleanup, temporary roof tarping, chainsaw work and muckouts.
Hurricane Crisis Cleanup number: Volunteer organizations will remove storm debris and assist with other storm clean up at no charge. For more details on specific assistance available, please call the Crisis Clean Up Hotline at 1-844-965-1386.
Free WiFi hotspots: Comcast has opened 52,296 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots in areas it serves across Florida in Hurricane Helene’s path. The free and public hotspots are open for anyone to use, including non-Xfinity customers in the following counties: Bay, Lee, Charlotte, Leon, Citrus, Levy, Franklin, Madison, Gadsden, Manatee, Hamilton, Sarasota, Hillsborough, Suwannee, Jackson, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, Lafayette, Walton and Washington.
AlertFlorida: Sign up for emergency alerts in your county.
FloridaDisaster.org: Provides up-to-date statewide information about the storm, including shelters, evacuation information, executive orders and price gouging
State Assistance Information Line: A toll-free hotline activated at the time of an emergency to provide an additional resource for those in Florida to receive accurate and up-to-date information regarding an emergency or disaster situation impacting the State of Florida.There are English, Spanish & Creole speakers available to answer questions. Call 1-800-342-3557.
FloridaDisaster.biz: Find the most recent information from the state on businesses offering services and assistance, including accommodation 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),
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: The Section 203(h) program allows the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure mortgages made by qualified lenders to victims of a major disaster who have lost their homes and are in the process of rebuilding or buying another home. It helps victims in presidentially designated disaster areas recover by making it easier for them to get mortgages and become homeowners or re-establish themselves as homeowners.
Florida Disaster Contractors Network: Florida’s Disaster Contractors Network (DCN) has been activated to provide support to homeowners in need of post-hurricane 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.
State Emergency Response Team: Information includes road and bridge updates, shelter openings and statuses, power outages and boil-water notices.
Private businesses offering assistance: See what companies are working to ensure Floridians have the supplies they need to begin hurricane recovery efforts and support the state’s economic resiliency post-storm.
Legal questions
Click here for an overview of key bad weather provisions in the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar “AS IS” Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase, along with one reference to the casualty provision contained in the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
Landlord-tenant concerns: Click here for answers to common questions about rental properties from Florida Realtors legal team.