Key Information
Post Hurricane Ian
October 11, 2022 - Update #3
Tomorrow, two weeks will have passed since SWFL was devastated by Hurricane Ian. Especially hard hit were Olde Naples, Marco Island, Isle of Capri, Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva, Matlacha, and Pine Island. Thousands of families have been displaced and thousands of businesses destroyed. There have been over 100 known deaths. Unfortunately, this number is expected to increase.
Tremendous progress has been made in removing debris, restoring power and internet, reopening businesses, including restaurants. There is much, much more to be done. Officials are working tirelessly to get our lives back to normal. For some families, it will take weeks and months to recover from Hurricane Ian's devastation. We ask for your continued patience.
Representative Bob Rommel
District 106 soon to be District 81
BCC TOWN HALL
Wednesday, October 12, from 6:00 - 9:00pm
The Collier County Board of County Commissioners will host a FEMA Town Hall on Wednesday, October 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. This will be a Hybrid Remote meeting and it will be held in the Board of County Commissioners Chambers, third floor, Collier County Government Center, 3299 Tamiami Trail E., Naples, Florida. Some of the Board Members may be appearing remotely, with staff present in person. The public may attend either remotely or in person. The meeting will be broadcast live with closed captioning on Collier Television channel 97/98 and via live streaming at www.colliercountyfl.gov/ctv.
The meeting will feature representatives from FEMA and other federal relief agencies who will make presentations and answer questions from Collier Countyresidentswho have experienced significantly damaged or destroyed housing due to Hurricane Ian.
The public may attend the presentation in the Commission Chambers or via Zoom. Those without power or internet access who do not wish to travel to the county’s main campus to attend in person may also participate via remote Zoom stations set up in three county libraries (one in each of the hardest hit Commissioner Districts of 1,2, and 4):
• South Regional - 8065 Lely Cultural Pkwy, Naples
• Naples Regional - 650 Central Ave., Naples
• Headquarters - 2385 Orange Blossom Dr., Naples
Speakers must complete and submit registration prior to the start of the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom presentation.
Remote participation is provided as a courtesy and is at the user’s risk. The County is not responsible for technical issues.
About the public meeting:
All interested parties are invited to attend, and to register to speak. All registered public speakers will be limited to three minutes unless changed by the chairman.
Collier County Ordinance No. 2004-05 requires that all lobbyists shall, before engaging in any lobbying activities (including, but not limited to, addressing the Board of County Commissioners, an advisory board or quasi-judicial board), register with the Clerk to the Board at the Board Minutes and Records Department.
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this proceeding, should contact the Collier County Facilities Management Division, located at 3335 Tamiami Trail E., Suite 101, Naples, Florida 34112, or (239) 252-8380, as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. Such reasonable accommodations will be provided at no cost to the individual.
For more information, call (239) 252-8999.
FP&L POWER RESTORATION
Amazingly, power has been restored to over 2 million customers – 99.8% of those affected by Hurricane Ian. FP&L continues restoration work following the devastation caused by the storm with crews working around the clock until the last customer is restored.
FPL fulfilled its expectations that restoration to be essentially complete in Southwest Florida by Friday night, thousands of homes and businesses in the region have been so badly damaged that they may not be able to safely receive electrical service. Some customers may need to contact a licensed electrician to repair damaged, customer-owned electrical equipment, including meter enclosures and weatherheads in order to safely receive power.
FPL is making financial assistance available through the company’s Care to Share® program for eligible customers who need repairs on damaged meter enclosures and weatherheads before they can safely receive power. Eligible customers in need of repairs for damaged meter cans and weatherheads in order to safely receive power can apply for financial assistance up to $1,000 at FPL.com/help, under the Apply for Hurricane Ian repairs section.
FPL communicates restoration information to customers frequently through the news media and the following resources:
As of October 10th, 13 of Comcast’s service areas in Southwest Florida have been predominantly restored, which means that its network in those locations is operational, and service has been restored to more than 90 percent of the customers there.
There may still be small pocket outages in some areas, which impact services for individual homes or neighborhood streets. Comcast crews will continue to work until services are restored for all customers in every service area. Cable has been restored as follows:
Collier County
Ave Maria Predominantly Restored
Golden Gate Predominantly Restored
Golden Gate Estates Predominantly Restored
Immokalee Predominantly Restored
Naples Predominantly Restored
Barefoot Beach October 21
Everglades City November 16
Marco Island October 15
Old Naples/Port Royal October 21
Vanderbilt Beach October 21
Lee County
Bonita Springs Predominantly Restored
Lehigh Acres Predominantly Restored
Alva October 11
Boca Grande October 22
Bonita Beach October 21
Cape Coral October 15
Captiva December 16
Central Fort Myers October 11
Fort Myers October 11
Fort Myers Beach November 15
Iona Lakes October 21
North Fort Myers October 15
Pine Island November 23
Punta Rassa October 21
Sanibel December 16
Restoration timelines are based on assessments of the damages to Comcast’s network and the condition of its equipment and infrastructure in impacted areas where crews are currently working to make repairs.
In some areas, commercial power has been restored, but Xfinity services are not back up yet because its equipment and lines in these areas require significant repairs before services can be restored to customers there.
Customers in locations that are listed as predominantly restored may need to re-start their modems for services to work properly again. If their services are still not working after that, customers should chat with a Xfinity assistant online for help or call 1-800-XFINITY (1-800-934-6489) to report service interruptions.
Customers in an area that is not listed above that are still without service should first check for the latest information on outages in their area by visiting the Status Center or checking on the Xfinity app. If that customer’s location is not in an area with a reported outage, they should report that their service outage by chatting with a Xfinity assistant online for help or calling 1-800-XFINITY (1-800-934-6489).
Disaster Recovery Centers provide information from Florida state agencies, FEMA, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. You can get help applying for federal assistance, learn about the types of assistance available, learn about the appeals process and get updates on applications.
If you have access to the internet, you don't have to go to the DRC, you can apply by going online to www.disasterassistance.gov, using the FEMA mobile app or calling 800-621-3362. Help is available in most languages, by sign language, and they can accommodate any disabilities.
If you’re already registered, it is not necessary to visit the DRC, but you may still want to go speak with a Recovery Specialist to update your status or find help from the other organizations.
Assistance from FEMA may help you and your family take care of necessary expenses and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance. You may think of FEMA primarily for forms of housing assistance like the following:
Rental Assistance for temporary housing
Short-term Lodging Expense Reimbursement
To repair uninsured home damage (you must first apply to your own home and flood insurance policies)
Assistance for homeowners who must replace or rebuild their primary residence
Where adequate temporary housing resources are not available within a reasonable commuting distance, FEMA may provide a temporary housing unit directly to homeowners and renters.
And they can indeed help with all that. But did you know that FEMA can help with other disaster-related expenses like these:
Personal Property: to repair or replace common household items such as furnishings, appliances, essential tools, and assistive equipment that supports daily living activities.
Medical/Dental: to pay for medical or dental expenses or losses caused by the hurricane.
Funeral: for expenses incurred due to a death or disinterment caused directly or indirectly by the disaster.
Child Care: for certain increased childcare costs because of the disaster.
Transportation: to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by the disaster.
Moving and Storage: to temporarily move and store personal property from a damaged primary residence while repairs are made. Assistance may also be available for moving essential household goods to a new primary residence.
Clean and Removal: for services to remove contaminants and disinfect surface areas of the home affected by floodwater.
Miscellaneous Expenses: to purchase specific items not owned prior to the disaster such as a wet/dry vacuum, chainsaw, or a generator for a medically necessary device.
Critical Needs: Financial assistance for applicants who have immediate or critical needs because they are displaced from their primary dwelling.
Some tips to remember:
FEMA grants do not have to be repaid.
FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.
Survivors should register even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but underinsured applicants may receive help after their claims have been settled.
EVERGLADES CITY
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and a FEMA representative representative will be at the Everglades City Hall Wednesday, October 12 from10:00 AM- 4:00 PM to help residents complete FEMA applications.
Small Business Administration Assistance
Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans are available. Applicants may apply at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov under declaration #17644. You can also call 800-659-2955 or send an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, dial 7-1-1.
These field offices act as one-stop-shops for businesses, homeowners, and renters seeking to cover losses caused by declared natural disasters. Specifically, the centers help the Office of Disaster Assistance in its mission to provide low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners, and renters to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.
SBA Business Recovery Center | Collier County
The Naples Players, 701 5th Avenue South, Naples, FL 34102
Hours: Monday, 9am to 4:30pm
| Tuesday – Sunday, 9am to 5 pm
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is offering $100 to $300 Walmart gift cards. Applicants must show need and damage or displacement due to Hurricane Ian. Click HERE to register.
REPORTING CLAIMS
Here is a list of insurance carriers with contact information:
State Farm Claims: Reporting a Claim
Customers can report claims through the following methods: statefarm.com®, the State Farm® Mobile app, 800-SF-CLAIM (800-732-5246) or texting the word “CLAIM” To 62789.
Citizens Property Insurance Claims and Loss Reporting
Advise policyholders to report a loss using one of three convenient options:
myPolicy, Citizens' online, policyholder self-service tool that is mobile-ready:
Policyholders must have a myPolicy account. Information about how to register is available on our myPolicy page.
Once a policyholder is logged into myPolicy, they can select the Claims tab, then click the blue Report a Claim button.
Call Citizens’ toll-free at 866.411.2742.
FEMA-FLOOD: 1-800-767-4341
Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance: 1-855-415-7120
Edison Insurance Company: (866) 568-8922
Florida Peninsula Insurance Company: Report a claim by: Calling us at 866-549-9672 or Visiting the customer portal (If you don't have an account, click here for step by step instructions)
The curfew (midnight to 6am) is now only in effect in the county west and south of US41- so from 41 west to the Gulf in North Naples. The City of Naples curfew remains in effect in its residential areas only from 10pm to 6am.
Florida's CFO Jimmy Patronis has provided the following sites to answer you questions about Assignment of Benefits (AOB). Please read before you SIGN ANYTHING!
How to Apply for FEMA Assistance After Hurricane Ian
Florida homeowners and renters in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Pinellas, Sarasota, and Seminole counties who were affected by Hurricane Ian may apply for FEMA disaster assistance.
Survivors can apply for disaster assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time, or by using the FEMA mobile app. If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
When you apply for assistance, have the following information ready:
• A current phone number where you can be contacted
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying
• Your Social Security number
• A general list of damage and losses
• Banking information if you choose direct deposit
• If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name
Survivors may be eligible to receive assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses resulting from the Hurricane Ian. If you have homeowners, renters or flood insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your disaster expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.
Take photos to document damage and begin cleanup and repairs to prevent further damage. Remember to keep receipts from all purchases related to the cleanup and repair.
Disaster assistance may include financial help with temporary lodging and home repairs, as well as other disaster-related expenses.
For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to, click HERE.
Post-disaster, every-contribution is given with the right intentions, but potential donations of “items” may not be practical to receive, transport, distribute, or may not address the most immediate needs. Another issue that arises is the influx of fraudulent organizations… please be careful when you decide to be charitable.
TO DONATE ITEMS
We ask that you contact local food pantries and donate non-perishable items to them as needed.
The Collier Community Foundation - is approved and vetted by the Board of County Commissioners and has helped Collier County and its citizens for many years. The Community Foundation is a tax-exempt, public, charitable organization established in 1985. Visit: www.colliercf.org
Keep telephone numbers of local emergency responders readily available. The Collier Information Center phone bank will be opened to answer a wide variety of public concerns including shelter, weather updates and disaster recovery information.
Collier County Information Center: 3-1-1 or (239) 252-8999.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency hotline (239) 252-9300.
If you are faced with an immediate, life-threatening emergency, dial 9-1-1
Road Maintenance Flooding: (239) 252-8924
