Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced that more than $2 million in disaster relief funding has been provided to residents and businesses impacted by the January 2022 Southwest Florida tornadoes through charitable donations and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans.
After the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) denial of Florida’s appeal to request Individual Assistance on April 24, 2022, Governor DeSantis directed FDEM to request an SBA Disaster Declaration.
“The SBA Disaster Declaration and State Donation Portal have provided much-needed relief to impacted individuals as they continue to rebuild in the aftermath of this severe weather,” said FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie. “The Division will continue to work with our local partners to ensure that disaster survivors have access to all available recovery resources and become more resilient against the impacts of future disasters.”
This Declaration was granted in May and provides residents and businesses in Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Glades and Lee counties with assistance in the form of low-interest loans.
Disaster Loan applicants may continue to apply online or download the application using the Electronic Loan Application through the SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoan.SBA.gov. Completed loan applications should be submitted to the SBA no later than July 1, 2022, for Physical Disaster Loans, and February 2, 2023, for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
On February 22, 2022, the State of Florida launched a donation portal in partnership with the Charlotte Community Foundation to collect and disburse donations for disaster survivors. All donations made through the FloridaDisaster.org/Assistance portal are tax-deductible.
