Hurricane Ian recovery: FEMA approves $14 million for Lee County schools, sheriff

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
The debris pile along Estero Boulevard on Lovers Key has gotten substantially smaller since Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida.
The debris pile along Estero Boulevard on Lovers Key has gotten substantially smaller since Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida.

More good news came to Lee County Thursday and just days before the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Ian next week.

FEMA Public Assistance announced it has approved two grants to reimburse the Lee County School District and Lee County Sheriff for emergency costs responding to Hurricane Ian. This comes a week after it was announced that Lee County will be receiving $1.1 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the work that still lies ahead in recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Ian in the county.

What we know

  • The school district was approved for a grant of $10,069,446. After the Sept. 28, 2022, storm, the school district conducted emergency repairs, mold remediation, debris removal, water removal, safety inspections and installation of temporary generators.

  • Lee County Sheriff was approved for a grant of $4,180,612 to reimburse costs of security for crowd, access and traffic control, barricades, search and rescue, roof stabilization, medical care, debris removal, distribution of supplies, lighting, sandbags, tarps, generators, fuel and other costs.

Did you know?

FEMA Public Assistance has obligated $32.8 million (federal share) for Lee County and a total of $106 million for all applicants within Lee County.

What is FEMA's Public Assistance Program?

It provides grants to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.

How it works

Applicants work with FEMA to develop projects and scopes of work. FEMA obligates funding for projects to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) after final approval. Once a project is obligated, FDEM works closely with applicants to complete the grant process and begin making payments. FDEM has procedures in place designed to ensure grant funding is provided to local communities as quickly as possible.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane aid: FEMA approves $14M for Lee County schools, sheriff