My office has received a number of phone calls and e-mails about FEMA assistance related to the recent severe storms and tornadoes that impacted our area on January 9, 2024.

As of this post, FEMA assistance has NOT been approved.

Starting January 16, 2024, FEMA Region 4 is participating in Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) in Bay, Jackson, and Walton Counties based on the FDEM assessments already done.

These PDAs will determine if the scope of the damage is beyond what the state is capable of handling and if the threshold, which includes several different factors, for federal assistance has been met.  The FEMA threshold for Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) are different.  Other counties could be assessed as damage information is received from local officials.

If you haven’t already reported your damage to your local emergency management officials, you need to immediately!

Bay County Emergency Management: (850) 248-6040 or http://baycountyfl.gov/166/Emergency-Management-Division

Calhoun County Emergency Management: (850) 674-8075 or http://calhounflorida.org/

Holmes County Emergency Management: (850) 547-1112 or http://holmescountyem.org/

Jackson County Emergency Management: (850) 482-9678 or http://rightservicefl.org/node/18784

Walton County Emergency Management: (850) 892-8065 or https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1063/Emergency-Management

Washington County Emergency Management: (850) 638-6203