On Royal Oak Drive in Fruitland Park, FEMA officials and corps members went door to door Wednesday to ask residents if they needed any assistance or aid after Hurricane Milton.
Layla Dutson, who lives on Royal Oak Drive, said though she didn’t have extensive damage from Hurricane Milton, she has friends and neighbors who have damage from the storm and need help.
“It was a good thing that they came around, because I honestly didn't think this year we were going to have any FEMA assistance of any kind,” Dutson said. “You know, I may not need any this year, because none of my house has had any structural damage, thank God. But there are a lot of people that have over here.”
Dutson said, by canvassing, FEMA helped clarify what they do for hurricane survivors.
Molly Crow, a disaster survivor assistance specialist with FEMA, said canvassing helps survivors get information quickly while connecting with people in person.
“Our job as the face of FEMA is to be that empathetic ear, to listen to people's stories, to talk to them, to allow them to tell us what happened to them in the disaster and where they might need help,” Crow said. “Our questions that we ask them through the registration process kind of lead us into a conversation, as well, so that we can get the best help for them in the quickest form. A lot of these people have been suffering. It's been at least a week now since Milton hit, and a lot of them have been suffering this whole time.”
Crow said sometimes, when filing for assistance, there can be a lot of confusion about the process. On occasion, the first correspondence back for someone who registered for assistance from FEMA states they’ve been denied.
“It is imperative that you read that letter fully, because it will tell you what we need,” Crow said. “Do we need a copy of your driver's license? Do we need a copy of your settlement statement? Whatever we need is going to be on there, and it will not go forward until we get that information.”
In addition to the confusion, Crow said there has been some misinformation surrounding funding and FEMA.
“It is absolutely false that you only get $750,” Crow said. “Some people qualify for immediate things based on how they answer the questions at time of registration, and those are the $750 that go out for some residents. We don't even know what trips those so we can't falsify any registrations or anything.”
For directions to apply for FEMA assistance and help from Hurricane Milton, visit FEMA’s website here.
