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In hard-hit Shore Acres, residents thankful they now qualify for FEMA assistance

Across the St. Pete neighborhood, which saw the brunt of Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge, flood-damaged belongings still pile up outside temporarily unlivable homes.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A simple drive through the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg shows the residents’ need for federal assistance. 

Across the small area of Pinellas County that saw the brunt of Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge last week, flood-damaged belongings still pile up outside temporarily unlivable homes. 

The approval to add Pinellas County to Florida’s Major Disaster Declaration, a list of Florida counties approved for individual Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Assistance, is a welcome one from people in the neighborhood. 

“It’s about time it happened, we’ve been waiting for it. Shore Acres got hit pretty hard,” said Casey Erklin, who over the past couple of days has been making constant trips to the curb, throwing out his parents’ flood-damaged furniture and belongings. 

She's even been cutting out all the carpets that were sitting under inches of water.

It’s endless. We got about a foot of water inside — it just keeps on coming and there is no end in sight,” Erklin added.

It’s a similar reality for families across the area. 

“It’s just really sad I don’t know what people can do,” says Dawn Gray, who showed 10 Tampa Bay the impact at her home, which had several inches of water in it. It's the worst flooding she’s seen since moving to the home 20 years ago. 

“Our entire house, the drywall is cut out,” she explained.

Gray is likely one of the first people in Pinellas County to file for FEMA assistance, doing so right before the county was approved. She called FEMA on Monday to double-check.

“Our application was processed last night, and they are getting ready to send an inspector in the next 7 to 14 days,” Gray said. She’s hopeful that means her and her family will soon be able to find a better place to stay while their home gets fixed up. 

According to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, disaster assistance may include financial help for basic home repairs, temporary lodging and other expenses caused by the storm.

“Hopefully, [an inspector] will see that it's uninhabitable and hopefully they'll give us assistance to live somewhere because at this point we really don't have anywhere to stay,” Gray said.

To apply for assistance, head to this link, use the FEMA app or call 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the week and help is available in most languages.

Starting Monday, Sept. 4, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance will go door to door in affected areas within the county to meet with homeowners, renters and businesses impacted by Idalia. These workers will help people register for FEMA Individual Assistance or update any information for registered people.

To spot FEMA officials, they will be wearing an official FEMA shirt or vest and an ID badge displayed above their belt line.

Other Florida counties that have already been approved for FEMA Individual Assistance include Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Suwannee and Taylor counties.

10 Tampa Bay's Leo Santos contributed to this report. 

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