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FEMA: Brevard County residents, business owners can apply for aid to cover Matthew damage

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Ten Federal Emergency Management Agency teams were back in the field Wednesday, surveying damage done to Brevard County by Hurricane Matthew.

By Wednesday afternoon, FEMA officials announces renters and business owners in the county could apply for federal disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damages and losses.

Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties were designated for Individual Assistance earlier this week.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all. We want to know what people’s needs are, and then we help determine what assistance can be provided,” said FEMA worker John Mills.

Photos: Brevard County damage weeks after Hurricane Matthew

Homeowners and business owners were still cleaning up from the storm nearly two weeks after it hit.

“If I added up all my losses, I’m probably in the neighborhood of $6,000 to $7,000,” said business owner Tom Norwood.

Norwood, who owns Doc’s Historic Bait House on Merritt Island, lost power and had minor flooding during the storm.

In the days following the storm, he’s seen the areas around his business near the county-owned fishing dock continue to deteriorate.

FEMA also visited Bay Towers in Titusville, where 70 families were left homeless.

Two dumpsters next to the building are filled with debris, but pieces of the roof were still strewn around the building.

More than 1,500 business and homes were damaged in Brevard County.

Emergency Management said 12 of those properties are destroyed.

Business owner Michael Schwarz is still reeling from the damage to Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill in Port Canaveral.

“This used to be a completely covered second-story roof,” he said. “The whole thing got shredded up in the storm,” Schwarz said. “We got 130 employees. We unfortunately had to lay 40 of them off.”

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to FEMA asking the agency to help residents in Brevard County.

Schwarz considers himself and his business lucky and hopes insurance covers the damage so he won’t have to rely on FEMA.

More info on how to apply: 

Survivors are encouraged to register with FEMA as soon as possible. If you preregistered with FEMA, you do not have to apply again. If you have phone and/or internet access, you may register:

  • Online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or
  • On the FEMA Mobile App, or by
  • Calling 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service may also call 800-621-3362. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.
  • The toll-free numbers are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
  • Multilingual operators are available.  Press 2 for Spanish and press 3 for other languages.

Cox Media Group

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