- December 21, 2024
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After two hurricanes in two weeks, residents, business owners and staff of Longboat Key are now turning to recovery.
These two disasters had massive impacts on many areas of Longboat Key, including flooding and structural damage. All of this may pose challenges as the community heads toward recovery.
Here is a list of several local, state and national resources that may be able to provide assistance to residents recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton:
To get a full picture of the town’s damage, the town’s PZB Department has an online portal for residents and businesses to self-report damages. The damages must be reported separately for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The online portal can be accessed on the PZB’s department website which can be found by navigating longboatkey.org.
The PZB Department can also be reached at 941-316-1966.
At the Oct. 7 town commission meeting, the commissioners voted to approve a temporary fee waiver for related building permits for hurricane recovery. The office’s permit desk can be reached at [email protected].
If residents are still without power and Wi-Fi at home, places like Town Hall and Bayfront Park can be used as Wi-Fi hotspots.
The town clerk’s office is also available by phone for other questions that residents may have. Residents can call from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 941-316-1999.
To apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, visit the website at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA smartphone application or call 800-621-3362. Multilingual phone operators are also available.
When applying, residents must fill out separate applications for each hurricane. Residents will need to describe what damage occurred and on what date.
To assist in the application process, it’s important to keep receipts for anything related to the disaster, such as home repairs, purchase of things like generators, replacement of personal property items and vehicle repairs.
The energy provider for Longboat Key has a website where residents can see resources like outage maps and tracking restoration. There are also other helpful resources on the website for getting assistance and frequently asked questions about insurance claims. The main webpage for FPL can be found at fpl.com.
The county government is able to assist business owners locate other resources to help during the recovery process. For assistance, email [email protected] or call either 311 or 941-861-5000.
The Gulf Coast Community Foundation partnered with Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation to provide immediate assistance for food and beverage workers after Hurricane Helene.
The goal of the funding is to help food and beverage workers, who may be living paycheck to paycheck, during this time while also waiting for further government support. Individuals may receive up to $1,000 and families could receive up to $1,200.
For more information and to fill out a simple application, visit SouthernSmoke.org.
If residents had a United States flag that was badly damaged in either storm, the flags can be dropped off at either the Longboat Key Police Department (5490 GMD) or the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department (5460 GMD) to be properly retired.
This hotline is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and can provide crisis counseling for victims of disasters. The hotline can be reached 24/7 for all United States residents at 1-800-985-5990.
For hurricane survivors who may not be able to afford an attorney, the Florida Education Association offers a legal aid hotline. Voicemail recordings give instructions for callers to provide basic information and a description of legal problems.
Residents in Florida counties who have been affected by hurricanes can receive legal help for things like FEMA assistance, insurance claims, dealing with contractors and consumer protection matters. The hotline is available at 866-550-2929.
