TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Irma at one point was a Category 5 storm before it hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 on Sept. 10, 2017.
It then made landfall on Marco Island as a major Category 3 and headed into central then northern Florida. That’s why there was widespread damage across the state and why many people sought help to repair or replace their homes after the storm.
The president's major disaster declaration included Charlotte, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. According to FEMA, more than $5.58 billion has been provided in federal funding assistance.
- Check out these photos of Hurricane Irma damage.
- Here’s a look at the cleanup in Polk County.
- Fly into Hurricane Irma: Take a look at this video as NOAA Hurricane Hunters take to the sky.
FloridaCommerce, formerly known as the Department of Economic Opportunity, and the Office of Long-Term Resiliency set up a program called Rebuild Florida to use federal money to help with housing needs.
According to FloridaCommerce, it submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on May 15, 2018, and just over a month later, it was approved. By September, a year after the hurricane hit Florida, the state had started registering applicants for the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program.
