PORT RICHEY, Fla. — As FEMA announced it approved more than $1 billion in disaster assistance for homeowners and renters in Florida alone, some storm survivors are still waiting for help.
"I never thought at 57 years old I'd be in this position at all," Captain Richard Ryan, owner of Paladin Fishing Charters in Port Richey, said.
More than one month after hurricanes Helene and Milton, Ryan hasn't been able to work and make money. The impact from the storms has left his vessel, where he also lives, inoperable due to thousands of dollars worth of damage, he said.
"I don't have anything. I don't have anywhere to go. I got this. That's it," Ryan said.
Ryan has applied for FEMA assistance from both storms and said he's since been denied but appealed. He said he was also denied a loan by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
He's hoping he'll eventually receive assistance and considers the help a lifeline.
10 Tampa Bay first met Ryan during a town hall with FEMA in Pasco County last month.
Like others in the fishing and marine industry, recent storms including Hurricane Debby battered others. It prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to announce $1 million in funding aimed at improving Florida's fishing economy across the Big Bend Region.
With money being lost, Ryan said he may have to take in another job elsewhere but worries that won't be enough to fix up his vessel someday. He had planned to be in South Florida by now to participate in the red snapper season.
"I've had a lot of people help me. I'm not going to lie and I'm forever grateful to every one of them, but this kind of stuff, this is running me out of business right now," Ryan said.
Hurricane Helene included nearly $520 million in assistance followed by Milton at about $450 million, and Debby at nearly $50 million, according to FEMA.
FEMAs latest numbers also come as the agency's chief warned the money available to help communities hit by disasters has shrunk after back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the funding problems might jeopardize the government’s ability to respond to new emergencies in the future.
To date, the state has reported more than $5 billion in insured losses, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.