Today, Monday, October 10, Orange County announced that it has extended the local state of emergency an additional seven days so the county can work with state and federal partners to better help residents in need.
Orange County held a press briefing to give updates on its response to Hurricane Ian on October 10 at the Orange County Emergency Operations Center in Winter Park.
Other key takeaways from the briefing are below:
Disaster recovery center
The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is open at Barnett Park. Yesterday, Sunday, October 9, the DRC serviced more than 100 individuals.
Barnett Park is located at 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando. Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Gates open at 7 a.m.
Along with volunteer groups, representatives from state and federal agencies will be available to provide a one-stop shop for in-person individual and business assistance including but not limited to:
*FEMA Individual Assistance, FEMA Mitigation
*Small Business Administration
*Crisis Counseling
*Florida Dept. of Children and Families
*Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation
*Agency for Persons with Disabilities
It is not necessary to visit a center to apply. Residents can visit disasterassistance.gov, dial 800-621-3362 or download the FEMA mobile app.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) provides food assistance for individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ian and who are not receiving food assistance benefits through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Individuals in Orange County can complete pre-registration beginning on Monday, October 17, through Sunday, October 30.
More information on the program, eligibility requirements, and important dates can be found by visiting myflfamilies.com/dsnap.
Recovery statistics
Debris removal: Crews are clearing roughly 2,000 cubic yards of debris from homes each day. It is estimated that it will take 5-6 weeks to remove all debris from the county.
Utilities/solid waste: During the last week, more than 38,000 tons of materials were delivered to Orange County Solid Waste facilities – an increase of 57 percent from this time last year.
Damage assessment: More than 1,517 properties have been assessed by the Orange County Property Appraiser. Of that number, nearly 1,100 have sustained damages resulting in an estimated loss of $188.8 million.
Watch the October 10 conference on the YouTube Video Stream or on Vimeo. For emergency updates, visit ocfl.net/ian.
