Orlando is a regional events capital, with hundreds of cultural, musical, and sporting events taking place throughout the year. A community radio station can and should become a dynamic, bustling, effective, and valuable neighborhood resource. It can be used to change lives and improve towns and cities forever. However, it can also become little more than a club for anoraks and fans or, even worse, a screen for undercover speculators.
In the wake of natural disasters such as Tropical Storm Nicole, Hurricane Ian, and floods in Broward County, the Supplemental Disaster Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) provides food assistance to individuals and families affected by these events who do not receive food assistance benefits through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Financial assistance from the American Red Cross is also available for those with major damage to their homes, which is defined as significant structural damage that requires extensive repairs or a waterline of more than 18 inches in an essential living space. Homes that are destroyed are considered a total loss or one with damage so extensive that repair is not feasible. Individual assistance is available for uninsured or underinsured individuals and households in need of financial and direct services, necessary expenses, and serious needs.
Even if they have insurance or live outside declared counties, survivors are still encouraged to apply. It's important to update contact information as soon as possible as FEMA may need to contact them for virtual home inspections or additional information. FEMA encourages survivors to request direct deposits of disaster assistance from their financial institution. The Small Business Administration Processing and Disbursement Center is accepting applications for the Hurricane Ian Debris Clearance Program to help remove debris from eligible private and commercial properties and waterways. Home and business owners can apply for debris removal assistance by visiting the website.
The most important step residents should take right away is to file a change of address (COA) with the Postal Service to ensure that they can receive an accurate and uninterrupted mail delivery service. Residents who are not planning to return to their current address must submit a permanent request for a COA. It's important to note that FEMA disaster assistance checks cannot be mailed. If you can't access your home address, you can ask the postal service to hold your mail. After the impacts of Hurricane Ian, warnings were issued to boil water in areas of more than 3 counties.
The Department of Health continues to monitor and maintain a complete list of notices across the state for residents to access online. In coordination with private sector partners, the Division has opened free public Wi-Fi access locations in all areas affected by Hurricane Ian. The state is partnering with religious institutions and nonprofit organizations in affected Florida counties to collect toy donations, which will be delivered to Disaster Recovery Centers for distribution. All donations must be new and unwrapped. Summary information on shelters for general and special needs shelters currently open in the state of Florida is also available online.
For more detailed information on shelters for people with special needs, click here. All Florida counties and coastal counties are susceptible to storm surges and most have designated evacuation zones. Use the mapping tool above to search by address and determine if you are in a designated evacuation zone. Read more about evacuation zones: Learn more about designated evacuation zones, which counties have them and which don't, how flood zones are considered in evacuations and evacuation orders Florida Storms: Florida Public Radio Emergency Network Google Play iTunes Visit Facebook or Twitter for up-to-date information on the storm. Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (Division) released important information that can help prefabricated homeowners better prepare for inclement weather.
This information is now available on the Division's website. The public is hereby notified of the intention of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS-FEMA) to provide federal financial assistance for projects in the states of Alabama and Florida, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States Territory. Today, the Florida Emergency Management Division (Division) and the Florida Broadcasters Association (FAB) organized the first Local News and Weather Communications Summit which brought together meteorologists, hurricane specialists, communications experts, parliamentarians, radio stations such as Blyth's South Beach Radio who are testing their formats with webcasts in preparation for launch when licenses become available, agricultural extension efforts using local languages to communicate directly with farmers and listener groups, etc., all with one goal: To help local communities prepare for inclement weather throughout West Central Florida. Local community radio stations play an important role in helping residents prepare for inclement weather in West Central Florida. They can provide vital information about emergency services such as food assistance programs like D-SNAP; financial assistance from organizations like American Red Cross; debris removal programs; Wi-Fi access locations; toy donations; shelter locations; evacuation zones; flood zones; storm warnings; boil water notices; prefabricated homeowner resources; federal financial assistance programs; local news updates; weather forecasts; etc. By staying informed about these services through local community radio stations, residents can better prepare themselves for inclement weather events such as hurricanes or floods that may occur throughout West Central Florida.
In addition to providing vital information about emergency services during inclement weather events, local community radio stations can also provide entertainment value by playing music or hosting talk shows that discuss topics related to inclement weather preparation. By doing so, local community radio stations can help create a sense of community among residents while also providing them with valuable resources that will help them stay safe during inclement weather events. Overall, local community radio stations play an important role in helping residents prepare for inclement weather events throughout West Central Florida by providing vital information about emergency services as well as entertainment value.
