Jan 8, 2005
 Media Advisory

January 08, 2005
DR-1539-341/1545-263/1551-221/1561-216
FEMA/Florida News Desk:      407-858-6207
SBA News Desk:                    404-909-0460

FEMA/STATE CONTINUE TO HOUSE DISPLACED HURRICANE VICTIMS
 
ORLANDO­- Floridians are occupying more than 13,500 mobile homes and travel trailers since experiencing
housing losses from Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, according to Florida's State Emergency
Response Team (SERT) and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA).
 
FEMA continues housing inspections, having completed more than 808,000 inspections of damaged residences
to verify eligibility for aid. Of 817,500 applicants referred for housing assistance nearly 278,000 were found
eligible for direct housing such as mobile homes or travel trailers, or some form of temporary housing financial
assistance.
 
To assist residents in finding other affordable housing in their areas, SERT and FEMA contracted with Florida State University to create the Disaster Housing Resources. The web site, www.DHRonline.org, currently lists nearly 20,000 rental units from landlords across the state. Rental owners may register their available property at the site or send information via FAX at 1-407-858-6230 or 1-407-858-2018.
 
Individuals still in need of immediate housing are urged to call the Florida Hurricane Housing Hotline at 1-888-472-1727, operational daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
 
Floridians also have until Feb. 28, 2005, to apply for disaster aid via the toll-free registration number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing- and/or speech- impaired. The lines are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Registrations may also be made on the Internet at www.fema.gov.
 
To date more than 1.2 million applicants have registered for state and federal aid since the 2004 hurricanes
hit the state.
 
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. 

FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

For information on SERT go to www.floridadisaster.org; For FEMA, go to www.fema.gov 

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