Escambia County FEMA Update on Hurricane Isaias

Escambia County and the City of Pensacola have been actively working with State damage assessment teams today, Wednesday, Oct. 14, to conduct damage assessments following Hurricane Isaias, which will help determine FEMA assistance as the community continues to move toward long-term recovery.

There are two main types of assistance FEMA may provide following a presidential disaster declaration: Individual Assistance and Public Assistance. The two programs are funded independently from each other and are intended to benefit individuals and communities in different ways.

Public Assistance

The Public Assistance joint team has determined that Escambia County meets the threshold for Public Assistance, or PA, which provides assistance to local governments following a presidential disaster declaration. This assistance covers reimbursement funding for emergency protective measures and debris removal, along with permanent restoration of damaged facilities in designated areas, including cost-effective hazard mitigation to protect the facilities from future damage.

Individual Assistance

The Individual Assistance joint team is still conducting assessments throughout Escambia County and the City of Pensacola, which is expected to continue throughout the evening. Once the Individual Assistance, or IA, assessments are completed, a determination will be made as to whether Escambia County meets the threshold for IA.

Both types of assistance would require a presidential disaster declaration in order to move forward. Once the IA and PA assessments are completed, the State damage assessment teams will submit Escambia County's damage assessments to the state as justification for Gov. DeSantis to request a presidential disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaias.

To learn more about Individual Assistance vs. Public Assistance, click here.

Escambia County has completed all of the necessary steps to be ready to receive FEMA assistance and will provide updates to the public as soon as more information is available. Stay tuned to myescambia.com for updates throughout Hurricane Isaias recovery.