Lee County and FEMA helping people after Hurricane Ian

Reporter: Annette Montgomery Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

Lee County and FEMA are going door to door, telling everyone they can about individual assistance and helping those in need the most.

They’ve knocked on over 3,000 doors and gone into 2,100 homes asking a simple question, how can I help?

Anybody who didn’t answer got a flyer on their door letting them know people can help them apply for hurricane assistance before Thursday’s deadline.

Going door to door asking how they can help. CREDIT: WINK News

In Dunbar, Tice, St. James City, and Matlacha, workers hired by the Department of Emergency Management are going door to door in the wake of Hurricane Ian, asking how they can help.

The director of the Florida Department of Emergency, Kevin Guthrie, spoke with WINK News about what’s happening.

“All of those areas were chosen as number one, the most impacted, but also the most underserved. For instance, you had a couple places like Dunbar,” Guthrie said. “I think it’s Harlem heights. Again, these are underserved communities, places where we know we’re going to have some technology issues.”

Guthrie told WINK News 900,000 Floridians have already applied for FEMA assistance. This boots-on-the-ground service is designed to ensure nobody who needs help will be left behind.

“We’ve actually been in the homes of 2,100 individuals, where we’ve actually helped them register and upload documents and work from the tablets and iPads,” Guthrie said.

The workers are on-site at the request of Lee County.

“They’re the ones that requested that as a tactic of how to get out into the community and get a further reach on the veterans that were in the area, and those that are the most vulnerable,” Guthrie said.

The people involved will continue going door to door until Thursday’s deadline unless FEMA decides to extend it.

“I’m looking down on the calendar. It’s January the ninth. Now, with that being the case, I’m not really sure that FEMA is going to make any additional extensions,” Guthrie said.

The workers will be throughout a dozen communities in Lee County until Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then again from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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