Hurricane Michael Recovery Resources

For Residents:

• Florida Emergency Information 24-hour Hotline: 800-342-3557
• Alert Florida: Sign up to receive emergency alerts and other public safety notifications in your community
• Open shelters
• Evacuation and curfew orders
• Family reunification: Due to issues with communication lines throughout parts of northwest Florida, there has been an increase in the number of calls for individuals missing, well-being checks, and concerns.
• The state has established a webpage for individuals to report these concerns. The State Emergency Operations Center will route these inquiries to the appropriate local agency for response.
• American Red Cross Safe and Well: After a disaster, letting your family and friends know that you are safe and well can bring your loved ones great peace of mind. Register yourself as 'Safe and Well' through the American Red Cross here. Search a list of those who have marked themselves 'Safe and Well' here.
• County emergency management contacts and websites
• Power outages
• Public Debris Reporting Tool: The Florida Public Debris Reporting Tool can be used to report significant debris impacting your community.
• Free Hurricane Michael Home Cleanup Hotline: Call 1-800-451-1954 for help from local relief agencies. All services are free, but service is not guaranteed.
• VISIT FLORIDA has activated the Expedia/VISIT FLORIDA Hotel Accommodation Web Portal to support evacuation orders and first responders. 
• Airbnb has activated response to Hurricane Michael. Their community members have opened their homes at no cost to displaced evacuees and first responders
• Florida 511: Get up-to-the-minute, real-time traffic conditions and incident information for the State of Florida.
• Florida Disaster Fund : At Governor Scott's direction, Volunteer Florida has activated the Florida Disaster Fund, the State of Florida's official private fund established to assist Florida's communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities. To donate, visit, www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/. 

For Businesses: 

• Business Damage Assessment Survey: The Department of Economic Opportunity has opened the Business Damage Assessment Survey for businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael. Businesses with damage should complete the survey.
• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has activated the Private Sector Hotline at 850-815-4925. The hotline is available for business inquiries about the storm and post-impact information.
• Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program : Governor Rick Scott activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael. The bridge loan program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced physical or economic damage during Hurricane Michael. The application period opened yesterday and runs through December 7, 2018.
• Reentry Information: Individuals and businesses seeking to provide essential commodities and services to impacted areas will be allowed reentry. To learn more, go to www.floridadisaster.org/business/statewide-private-sector-re-entry-program/. 
• Disaster cleanup and other related job openings are now available at http://disasterrecovery.employflorida.com. Businesses can also post job openings. 
• Businesses can also visit FloridaDisaster.biz to view tips for assessing storm damage and to register to receive updates on storm recovery.

For Insurance Claims: 

• The Office of Insurance Regulation has ordered property insurers to submit claims information from Hurricane Michael on a daily basis for the next two weeks. Additional data calls will be scheduled in the near future.
• The Office of Insurance Regulation's Incident Management Team remains fully activated and will have representatives at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. OIR team members will be actively working throughout the recovery phase with consumer advocates, industry stakeholders and entities licensed under OIR's regulatory authority.
• CFO Jimmy Patronis' Division of Consumer Services has resources to assist consumers with the claims-filing process or file insurance complaints here.