EMERGENCY DECLARATION
Late Tuesday night, an emergency declaration was approved for Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Holmes, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington counties. In the next few days, FEMA officials will be across the region to conduct damage assessments. (For more information, visit here, FEMA.gov, or VolunteerFlorida.org).
Disaster response is best when it is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported. Our emergency management teams at the local and state level are very good at this, and the state is working tirelessly to ensure that Northwest Florida’s recovery is as quick and effective as possible.
For a complete list of recent actions the state has taken in response to Hurricane Sally, click here, or visit www.FloridaDisaster.org.
GOVERNOR DISCUSSES HURRICANE
On Thursday, I joined Governor DeSantis, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz, and Florida DOT Secretary Kevin Thibault to discuss hurricane recovery. Watch it here:
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BUSINESS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT SURVEY
In an effort to expedite the recovery process for businesses damaged by the hurricane, the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and State Emergency Response Team have activated the Business Damage Assessment Survey. The program will gather information through the survey from businesses affected by Hurricane Sally and share the results with various local, state and federal agencies to implement appropriate disaster relief programs. Any business affected by the storm is encouraged to complete the Business Damage Assessment survey, available at FloridaDisaster.biz.
DEO is currently surveying businesses in the counties affected by Hurricane Sally. To access the business survey, please click HERE and select “Hurricane Sally” from the drop-down menu. Completed surveys will be used to determine which emergency support programs might be beneficial to aid recovery efforts in the area. Local, state and federal officials will use this information to provide any needed assistance programs needed for recovery.
RECOVERY RESOURCES
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HOME IS DAMAGED
- Contact your insurer as soon as possible to report the damage. Have your policy number ready. Damage associated with wind and other severe weather is typically covered under a standard homeowners, renters or business policy. Property owners with flood damage need to contact their flood insurer to file a flood-related claims. If you have flood damage but do not have flood insurance, federal disaster assistance may be available in the form of grants and loans if a federal disaster is declared.
- Photograph or videotape the damage to share with your insurer and keep a copy for your records.
- Make temporary repairs if it is safe to do so. If there are holes in your roof or your windows are broken, be sure to cover them as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.
- Save receipts for any materials you purchase to assist with repairs. You may submit them to your insurer for reimbursement.
- Do not throw away any damaged items until an adjuster visits your home. Keep in mind that due to COVID-19 and social distancing, you may collaborate with an adjuster via a video call instead of in-person.
- Many standard homeowners and renters policies provide reimbursement of additional living expenses when the property is determined to be uninhabitable due to damage. This provision helps pay for things like temporary housing, restaurant meals, overnight parking and laundry service. Check with your insurer or agent for a list of what your policy will cover.
- Watch out for crooked contractors and third parties posing as contractors who often go door to door after disasters preying on homeowners in desperate need of repairs.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HOME IS FLOODED
- Shovel or scrape mud off floors, furniture, and walls before the mud dries. Then hose down the walls with clean water, starting from the ceiling.
- Major appliances, such as refrigerators and stoves, can be washed and dried completely. In most cases, they will not be damaged unless they were operating at the time the water covered them.
- Diluted chlorine bleach can be used to clean household items, appliances, walls, and floors and will help control odors.
- Wood furniture should be dried outdoors, but not in direct sunlight. Remove drawers and other moving parts before they dry.
- Food utensils and equipment should be washed thoroughly and sterilized before using. Any food that is open and exposed to flood waters should be discarded.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR VEHICLE IS FLOODED
- Be cautious about starting a vehicle that has been exposed to flood waters, and if your vehicle is missing report it to the police.
- If the water got above the floorboards, or the seats are wet, do not try to start the car. The electrical system is the most sensitive to water damage and trying to start the car could cause more damage.
- Open the hood and check the air filter. If it is wet, do not try to start the car.
- Report the loss to your auto insurer and protect the car from further damage by covering any broken windows.
What to expect after filing a homeowners claim relating to a hurricane
The flood insurance claims process
Emergency financial preparedness toolkit
CONTACT INFORMATION
The following are web sites and contact information for various federal and state agencies:
Escambia County:
Holmes County:
Okaloosa County:
Santa Rosa County:
Walton County:
Traffic and road information:
GAETZ IN THE NEWS
Florida Daily — September 16, 2020
Senators and Congressmen From Florida Want Emergency Declaration on Hurricane Sally From White House
Both of Florida’s two U.S. senators — Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott — and U.S. Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Al Lawson, D-Fla., sent a letter to President Donald Trump in support of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request to declare a pre-landfall emergency declaration in expectation of Hurricane Sally.
(Note: this was subsequently approved by the President).
WEAR TV — September 17, 2020
Oil slick moving through Pensacola Bay
"Ensuring that we don’t have critical infrastructure fail or that we don’t have a major environmental event is also an important part of what we’re doing and making those assessments in real time is very important,” Gaetz said Thursday.
Tampa Bay Times — September 17, 2020
Florida takes another election-eve hurricane hit. How Trump responds will matter.
"In Florida, this is our bread and butter. We know how to do this,” said U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close ally of the president whose district includes Pensacola. “We know exactly how to make the ask and respond to the needs of our people,” Gaetz said.
Vanity Fair — September 14, 2020
"If you aren’t making news, you aren’t governing”: Matt Gaetz on media mastery, influence peddling, and dating in Trump’s swamp
"That day would become something of an inflection point for Gaetz; hours later, he used his CPAC speech to disavow all PAC donations. He remains the only Republican member of Congress to do so, but for him, that doesn’t really matter. In the Trump era, the traditional arbiters of influence on Capitol Hill are obsolete as far as Gaetz is concerned. “I view the Trump presidency not as a condition to be managed, but as an opportunity to be seized,” he told me."
Epoch Times — September 14, 2020
90 GOP Members of Congress Sign Pledge to Oppose Defunding Police
On the House side, 78 Republican representatives have signed the pledge, led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Other notable House signers include House Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and House Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Johnson (R-La.).
WHAT WE’RE READING
Politico — September 17, 2020
Twitter public policy director decamps for Biden transition team
WEAR — September 16, 2020
Sheriff: Crews begin rescuing thousands in Escambia County from Hurricane Sally
Fox News — September 14, 2020
Compton ‘ambush’ leaves 2 LA County sheriff’s deputies ‘fighting for their lives’
New York Post — September 16, 2020
Twitter suspends Chinese virologist who says COVID-19 was made in Wuhan lab
Fox News — September 17, 2020
Group led by Black Lives Matter founder is ‘fiscally sponsored project’ of pro-China org: report
The American Mind — September 17, 2020
The Soros Cover-Up
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