As a Florida Realtor, my heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Many of us are struggling with a lack of water, power, and other resources—and with no ETA on restoration of services in sight. How I wish I could take every single one of you under my wing and give you a hug, a warm meal, a way to shower, and access to whatever it is that you need right now!
Helene made landfall late Thursday evening in Taylor County with winds of 140 mph in the Big Bend area. The Governor declared the damage greater than that of Hurricanes Idalia and Debby combined, making it the third hurricane to hit Taylor County in a little over a year. The storm swept through North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and even parts of Southern Ohio.
We Are Not Out of the Woods: Community Resources
There may be hazards like fires, poisonous gases like carbon monoxide, downed power lines blocking or flooded roadways, and more, so please continue to exercise caution.
Please know there are immediate and longer-term resources for you:
FEMA
FEMA sets up Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in impacted areas; you can also click here for individual FEMA assistance.
For personal and business losses not covered by insurance or FEMA, virtually everyone can apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration in declared disaster areas.
Red Cross Shelters
Locations for Red Cross shelters can be found on their website by following local emergency officials on social media if you have cell service or texting “SHELTER” and your zip code to 43362 for locations.
If you’re in the Big Bend region, call (800) 729-3413.
Insurance
Insurance companies are required to respond to your claim within seven calendar days and make a determination on that claim within 60 days.
For the National Flood Insurance Program, call 877-336-2627.
Remediation and Repairs
Before hiring a contractor, make sure the individual or company is licensed and insured at www.myfloridalicense.com. As much as it’s hard to be patient to get back to daily life, it’s a good idea to shop for estimates instead of taking the first one you get.
Daybreak Response Concierge Disaster Recovery Services
Another new resource you can check out is Daybreak, a new Florida membership that promises to expedite disaster recovery. It’s not cheap, but it does secure concierge services to a vetted contractor network.
Free WiFi
It’s so difficult to function when you can’t stay connected, communicate, or look for resources online. The good news: Comcast has opened 52,296 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots across Florida for anyone to use in the following counties:
Bay
Lee
Charlotte
Leon
Citrus
Levy
Franklin
Madison
Gadsden
Manatee
Hamilton
Sarasota
Hillsborough
Suwannee
Jackson
Taylor
Jefferson
Wakulla
Lafayette
Walton
Washington
Florida Realtors® Wants to Help With Disaster Relief
The Florida Realtors Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is available to real estate industry workers whose primary residential home or real estate office sustained damages due to the storm. Applications for Hurricane Helene will be accepted until March 26, 2025.
How Can I Help? Looking Forward to a Brighter Future
Can I provide access to other resources or networking for you in Tampa during this challenging time? I would love to be a part of the solution as we rebuild with Hope After Helene.
Give me a call today, and let me put feelers out, help you find services, or just connect. We have a strong village here in Tampa. I’m proud to be a part of it alongside you as we focus on the positive and mourn what we’ve lost.
Your friend and community member,
Kimmie