FEMA to close Florida recovery centers ahead of Hurricane Milton

Image via AccuWeather.

As Hurricane Milton strengthens over the Gulf of Mexico on a direct path with Florida, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is temporarily shutting down its Disaster Recovery Centers.

The centers will reopen after the maelstrom — now a Category 4 strength storm — passes, conditions improve and inspections are completed, a notice from the agency said.

This is not a departure from protocol. FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are facilities and mobile offices that provide post-disaster aid in or near affected communities. Their agents work with the state and surrounding communities to primarily provide guidance, including information about disaster assistance, referrals to other agencies that can help and connections to Small Business Administration (SBA), among other things.

There are 10 FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in Florida:

— Alachua County: Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd St., Gainesville 32606. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, SBA business and home loans, and state and local aid.

— Baker County: Fire Station 30 (mobile), 19145 N County Rd. 125, Glen Saint Mary, 32040. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Branford County: Gilchrist Fire Station 2, 460 NW County Rd. 138, Branford 32008. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Columbia County: Lake City Reporter, 180 E Duval St., Lake City 32055. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Hillsborough County: The Regent, Hillsborough Community College (mobile), 6437 Watson Rd., Riverview 33578. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Madison County: The Bridge Church, 1135 E U.S. 90, Madison 32340. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, SBA business and home loans, and state and local aid.

— Manatee County: Lakewood Ranch Library (mobile), 16410 Lakewood Ranch Library, Bradenton 34211. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Sarasota County: Sarasota Christian Church, 2923 Ashton Rd., Sarasota 34231. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Suwannee County: Hale Park, 215 Duval St. NE, Live Oak 32064. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

— Taylor County: Loughridge Park, 1100 W Hampton Springs Ave, Perry 32347. Provides general information, hazard mitigation, and SBA business and home loans.

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and its Bureau of Recovery are managing Essential Service Centers — temporary, mass care emergency locations where impacted disaster survivors can go for limited essential services and information 24-96 hours after a disaster.

Other post-storm state services include:

— Department of Children and Families, which will provide personnel to give information on food stamp replacement and crisis counseling.

— Agency for Workforce Innovation, which will provide job placement and training referrals.

— The Department of Elder Affairs, which will provide case managers to connect elderly residents to appropriate assistance.

— Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which will provide case managers who can offer information on benefits, pensions, insurance settlements and VA mortgages.

— Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which will establish mobile facilities to provide replacement driver’s licenses and identification cards, among other things.

— Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which will provide information about loan programs to assist eligible farmers, ranchers and aquaculture operators in returning their operations to a financially sound basis.

— Department of Financial Services, which will provide information about federal and state assistance programs, including insurance awareness.

Various volunteer organizations — including faith-based organizations; the American Red Cross’ North, Central and South regions; and the Salvation Army — will provide aid for clothing, household items, food, hydration, flood cleanup materials and sheltering.

As of 9:30 a.m. Monday, more than 6 million Florida residents were under a hurricane watch, including all living in the Tampa area. Tropical storm watches are in effect for the Keys and a significant portion of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including the Big Bend area that Hurricane Helene hit less than two weeks ago.

Hurricane Milton was a Category 3 storm at 8 a.m., with 125 mph winds, according to AccuWeather. But just an hour later, hurricane hunters flying through the storm found it had intensified to a Category 4, with winds of 150 mph — only 7 mph short of Category 5 status.

Needless to say, anyone in the storm’s path should evacuate now.