State and federal leaders detail aid for Panhandle after Hurricane Isaias

WESTERN PANHANDLE, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The impacts of Hurricane Isaias can be felt across the Panhandle in homes, businesses, and beaches, and state and federal leaders are taking action to help communities recover, NewsChannel 7 has learned in an exclusive report.

The Category 2 storm weakened before landfall but still brought damaging winds and flooding to Panhandle neighborhoods.

“You see a lot, a lot of tree damage. And we have downed power lines. So it’s going to take a while to clean all that up,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said.

Jimmy Patronis, U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, said the community’s cleanup response was notable.

“What I was really surprised by in the neighborhoods that we were driving through was just the enormous amount of collected debris already on the sidewalks. So you can really see how the community has pulled together,” Patronis said.

Florida’s elected officials said they are working to secure federal assistance for the state.

“I’ve talked to the president, made sure the federal government is going to be a partner. I’ve talked to the Secretary of Homeland Security to make sure FEMA is going to do its job,” Scott said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has been approved for a pre-landfall declaration.

“We’ve been approved for a pre-landfall declaration. We now, once the counties give us the assessments, I think we’re going to cross the threshold that would make us eligible to get that declaration approved. Once that’s approved, that would open up the ability to do individual assistance,” DeSantis said.

Residents can begin filing insurance claims, according to officials.

“The policy that you’ve got is there to cover you. But there’ll be a hurricane deductible. You will have some out-of-pocket expense when it comes to filing a claim,” Patronis said.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said residents should contact their insurance providers.

“So what I would do is contact your insurance, your insurance company, make the claim, and they will tell you what they cover and what FEMA should cover,” Ingoglia said.

Officials urged residents to be cautious of people attempting to take advantage of storm victims.

“You’re going to have unscrupulous contractors, bad public adjusters. You’ll even have some attorneys that will go through your communities, and they’re going to try to get ahold of your claim,” Patronis said.

“Please don’t sign any contracts with anyone. Take your time. I know it is an emotional time. You see some damage to your home, damage to your vehicle. Make sure that the people that are knocking on your door are reputable. Ask them for their license. Check their contracts,” Ingoglia said.

Insurance villages will be set up in the Western Panhandle to guide residents through the claims process and connect them with an agent in person. The Destin location will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

A Pensacola insurance village will also open this week, according to Florida’s CFO.

Patronis said all shelters in Walton and Okaloosa counties have closed and evacuation orders have been lifted.

DeSantis said there are several points of distribution for supplies, including water and food, available throughout the Panhandle.

Escambia County locations:

• 120 Chiefs Way, Pensacola
• 470 South Highway 29, Cantonment
• 5100 North 9th Ave, Pensacola

Washington County location:

• Vernon Fire Department, 3560 Roche Avenue, Vernon

Holmes County location:

• 1001 East Highway 90, Bonifay

4 additional points of distribution are set to open Monday in Santa Rosa County.

Walton County locations:

• Sports complex in Freeport
• The DFS Community Center in Defuniak Springs
• The Emerald Coast Boys and Girls Club in Santa Rosa Beach
• The Paxton Agricultural Center in Paxton.

The points of distribution open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

More information and additional locations are available at floridadisaster.org/updates.

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