Screenshot of video from Pinellas County of damage suffered in from Hurricane Helene.
Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Cross of St. Petersburg is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to immediately deploy temporary housing for residents who have been displaced by Hurricane Helene.
President Joe Biden’s administration approved FEMA disaster assistance for homeowners and renters in 17 Florida counties who had uninsured damages or losses caused by Helene last Friday, a day after the storm barreled through Florida, with considerable property damage caused by storm surge in Pinellas County, in particular.
“Residents in severely impacted neighborhoods in St. Petersburg such as Shore Acres and Rivera Bay are left with most of their possessions on the curb and a long recovery ahead,” Cross writes in a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
“As we continue to learn the extent of the damage on the Florida Gulf Coast, I am requesting that FEMA extend its assistance to immediately deploy additional Direct Temporary Housing, including Manufactured Housing Units, Transportable Housing Units, and direct leases to impacted residents. Providing temporary housing to those left financially and physically burdened by the effects of Hurricane Helen is imperative as we begin to recover as a community. Our fellow Americans desperately need this assistance.”
Wednesday, Biden made eligible five additional counties for FEMA individual and public assistance: Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Leon, and Suwannee.
Nearly 17,000 properties have been either destroyed or suffered major damage as of Wednesday morning, according to a residential damage assessment produced by Pinellas County.
At an emergency meeting held by the Pinellas County Commission on Tuesday, officials said that, along with contacting hotels to see how many rooms might be available for those without housing, they are working with short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
A request for comment from FEMA was not immediately returned. Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, via the FEMA app or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
Jay Waagmeester contributed to this story.