TAMPA, Fla. — By now, you’ve seen the images and heard their stories: Floridians flooded out by Hurricane Helene in what officials are calling record-setting flooding in parts of Tampa Bay.
In the wake of Helene, President Joe Biden approved FEMA funding for Florida last weekend. This means the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can now grant much-needed financial help to residents and business owners in Florida’s 17 hardest-hit counties.
According to FEMA media specialist Jack Pagano, it’s money that will literally open the floodgates for assistance. Assistance covers the costs of food, medications, and baby formula, as well as temporary housing, basic home repair costs, and personal property and losses.
“What FEMA is trying to do is turn tragedy into triumph,” Pagano said from the Disaster Recovery Center recently set up at Hillsborough Community College at The Regent in Riverview.
We asked Pagano questions you want answers to about …