FEMA adds Pinellas County to Florida’s Major Disaster Declaration
PINELLAS,Fla. - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has added Pinellas County to Florida’s Major Disaster Declaration, which means residents can apply for individual assistance.
Representatives with FEMA went door-to-door in impacted areas starting Monday.
The Shore Acres neighborhood in St. Petersburg was hit hard by Hurricane Idalia.
Homeowner Julia Keck said the home she and her fiancé bought nine months ago took on 11 inches of water.
READ: Shore Acres community begins Hurricane Idalia cleanup
"By the time we saw on the Ring camera the water coming up, it was well above the sandbags and tarps," Keck, who had evacuated with her fiancé, said. "It was really tough (to watch)."
Keck and her fiancé spent Monday continuing the demolition of their home.
"I think everyone was caught off guard by it and probably second-guessing this area as a good place to live but got to get through it," Keck said.
Homeowner Michael Booker knows the dilemma.
Residents, including Booker and Keck, told FOX 13 they love the sense of community but acknowledge it’s tough to go through something like this and not consider moving.
"We want to see how the demolition and rebuild goes and take our time and try not to rush into any decisions, but nothing’s off the table at this point," Booker said.
On Monday, All Dry of North Tampa crews helped Booker with mold remediation, furniture removal and the insurance process.
"He’s losing a lot of stuff because of the hurricane. And we want to make sure he’s compensated for it," Colt Castillo said, pointing to Booker’s damaged furniture on the curb.
"Pretty devastating the amount of stuff that we had in there that needs to be replaced now," Booker said.
Those impacted by Hurricane Idalia can visit disasterassistance.gov, download the FEMA app, or call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
Also, Pinellas County announced the American Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter at Allendale United Methodist Church (3803 Haines Rd. N.) in St. Pete for anyone who needs a safe place to stay.