TAMPA, Fla. — FEMA has extended the deadline to apply for assistance for Floridians impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The deadline to receive FEMA financial assistance for displacement, basic home repairs, personal property losses and other uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses, is Jan. 7.
To apply, you can either head to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App or call 800-621-3362.
You can watch a demonstration on how to apply by watching this video.
FEMA has also extended the policy renewal deadline for certain National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders to prevent a lapse in NFIP flood coverage.
Policyholders have until Dec. 10 to renew their policies, which is an extension from the standard 30-day renewal grace period.
FEMA has approved $975.3 million for both Helene and Milton, with each receiving $521.5 million and $453.8 million respectively.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm near the Big Bend region on Sept. 26. Although Florida suffered substantial impacts from the storm, North Carolina and South Carolina endured the most devastation.
"Preliminary data indicate that Helene was the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005, with more than 150 direct fatalities, the majority of which occurred in North Carolina and South Carolina," according to the NOAA.
Not even two weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key on Oct. 9.
"Milton's rate of rapid intensification was among the highest ever observed, with a 90-mile-per-hour increase in wind speed during the 24-hour period from early October 6 to early October 7," the NOAA reports.
In all, the NOAA says that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season "showcased above-average activity, with a record-breaking ramp-up following a peak-season lull."
