hurricane recovery

Hurricane Idalia hit the Big Bend area as a Category 3 hurricane on Aug. 30. Over three months later, residents in the affected areas are still wrangling with government agencies for financial assistance to help rebuild or repair the damage from the natural disaster.

In June, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reported Hurricane Ian resulted in more than 700,000 insurance claims statewide. While some claims remain open, over 86% of them have been closed, and nearly 200,000 of them were closed without payment.

A 14.2 percent increase this year would require the approval of Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation before it could take effect.

Nearly every building on the barrier island in Southwest Florida was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ian's 15-foot storm surge. It's left the town with almost a clean slate for redevelopment.

As the barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva continue to assess the damage to homes and businesses after Hurricane Ian, some community organizations and concerned citizens have joined to create the SanCap Citizens for a Resilient Future.

After Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole devastated parts of the state last year, the Florida Senate is pursuing a series of proposals aimed at helping communities recover from future storms.

Typically, a special legislative session focuses on just one—maybe two—subjects. This time, lawmakers are tacking a full slate of issues.

A forthcoming report will estimate Florida’s agriculture industry sustained about $1.07 billion in damages from Hurricane Ian.

The federal rule prohibits improvements to hurricane-damaged homes exceeding 50% of their market value unless the entire structure is updated to meet current building codes.

What was once a sprawling shoreline of sand on New Smyrna Beach is now a watery wasteland with tons of leftover debris courtesy of Hurricane Nicole’s storm surge Thursday morning.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established a hotline for reporting displaced vessels still on Florida state waters because of Hurricane Ian.

Dolphins Tanner Connor and John Lovett arrived with their team earlier in the day ready to help and their teammate and North Fort Myers alumnus, ZaQuandre White, was on scene meeting with families and taking pictures with fans.