Bay Area residents devastated by Debby can apply for financial aid through FEMA

SARASOTA, Fla. - Now a week after Debby brushed by Tampa Bay, FEMA is answering the need.

Many people in parts of Sarasota never anticipated this level of flooding, so a lot of them don't have flood insurance which would help recoup their losses.

Beginning Sunday, residents in Manatee and Sarasota counties devastated by Debby can now submit an application online through FEMA's website to get money to pay for hotel costs while they're displaced. The money can also be used toward home repairs. For people without insurance, this will hopefully be a huge help in mitigating their losses.

Video from Sky Fox shows how Debby left neighborhoods looking like lakes. In the Laurel Meadows subdivision in Sarasota, roads and streets were invisible, cars were submerged and homes flooded.

"This is economically devastating to us. I don't have the money. We don't have the flood insurance. We're paying the price for whether it's development or not enough drainage because of the development," homeowner Pastor Andy Ard said.

READ: Post-Debby damage creates insurance issues, costing Bay Area residents tens of thousands

Laurel Meadows residents tell FOX 13 most of their neighbors don't have flood insurance.

"They tell us hey you don’t have to worry about flood insurance because you are in 500 year .2% flood area, and now I have to do because I should have," Laurel Meadows resident Daniel Mion said.

Beginning Sunday, residents like Daniel Mion can apply for financial assistance through FEMA by visiting DisasterAssistance.Gov.

To start, enter your zip code and select Hurricane Debby, then select any assistance you might need like home repairs, vehicle damage or personal property losses like furniture and electronics. You can also select other needs like lodging or medical expenses.

You'll then be prompted to create a login.gov account to verify your identity. To do so, you'll need your social security number, house income, contact info, insurance info and bank account info.

Once your account is completed, you can finish your application where you'll also need to include a general list of damage and losses.

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