- Madison County neighbors are now eligible to apply for help from FEMA for Hurricane Debby-related losses.
- More than $14 million in grants have been approved for neighbors across all eligible counties.
- Watch the video to see how FEMA teams are increasing outreach in Madison.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
FEMA teams are on the ground in Madison County where neighbors can now apply for help following Hurricane Debby.
I'm neighborhood reporter Kenya Cardonne. I'm following them around the community as they work to spread the word.
Video shows the force of Hurricane Debby sweeping through Madison County.
A system that caused major flooding, power outages and expensive damages for neighbors in a town where remnants of Hurricane Idalia are still in plain sight.
So far, FEMA has approved more than $14M in grants for neighbors recovering from Debby— a kind of relief that neighbors in Madison County are now eligible to take part in.
Elisse Goldstein, FEMA Task Force Lead - "I can't tell you if somebody's going to get help or if they're not going to get help.. but I can tell you that they won't get help if they don't register."
FEMA tells me more than 11,000 people from across all 11 eligible counties have applied for help.
To increase outreach, their Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams door-knocked on homes across Madison. I joined them Thursday.
Patrick Lightcap, Neighbor - "For the government to have a well-operating system like that in a very rural area was very nice to experience."
Neighbor Patrick Lightcap tells me FEMA's help during Hurricane Idalia was a big deal for him.
Lightcap - "The skirting was gone, we had some water intrusion, had to have new carpeting, a little roof work.. lots of stuff."
Damage that he says certainly adds up.
Lightcap - "Anything that FEMA could do to help reduce that out-of-pocket was very appreciated."
He tells me, this time around, he's fortunate Debby didn't leave nearly as much destruction.
Lightcap - "But I'm hoping that others that had more damage than we did will surely take advantage of anything they qualify for."
Here's how you can apply for help or get answers:
- Apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
- Download the FEMA Mobile App
- Call 1-800-621-3362
The deadline to apply for Hurricane Debby related assistance is October 9th.
In Madison, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
