Escambia County Meets FEMA Public Assistance Threshold; Individual Assistance Still Pending

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Escambia County has reached an important milestone in its effort to secure federal assistance following Hurricane Isaias.

County officials announced Wednesday that joint damage-assessment teams have determined Escambia meets the threshold for FEMA Public Assistance.

That program provides reimbursement for eligible government expenses associated with disaster response and recovery.

Those expenses can include debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to damaged public infrastructure.

However, the county's announcement does not mean federal assistance has been approved for individual homeowners.

FEMA Individual Assistance is a separate program that can provide eligible households with assistance for disaster-related needs.

County officials said Wednesday evening that assessment teams were continuing to document residential damage throughout Escambia County and the City of Pensacola.

Once the assessments are complete, the information will be forwarded to the state to support a request for a presidential major disaster declaration.

Both Public Assistance and Individual Assistance require the appropriate federal declaration before funding can move forward.

Escambia County previously estimated approximately $64 million in public damage and recovery costs following Hurricane Isaias.

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves also reported that more than $70 million in private-property damage had been documented within the city as of Tuesday evening.

Those figures represent different categories of damage and should not be confused with approved federal reimbursement amounts.

County officials are encouraging residents to continue reporting hurricane damage through the county's official damage-reporting system.

Reporting damage helps document the community's losses but is not the same as applying for FEMA assistance.