Rebuild Northwest Florida

FEMA's $20 million to give homeowners hurricane protection by Michael Stewart

 

A local program to help Escambia ounty residents protect their homes from hurricanes is getting a multi-million-dollar boost from the federal government.

 

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, will be in town Thursday to announce the award of a $20 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to install hurricane shutters, wind-resistant doors and hurricane straps on roofs.

 

The Money is expected to help some 3,000 Escambia County residents harden their homes against future storms.

 

"Rebuild Northwest Florida did a tremendous job helping many of us recover from the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ivan" Miller said.  "During that recovery and rebuilding process, they recognized small changes that could have minimized the level of destructuion in many of the damaged structures.  Now, with this grant from FEMA and using the lessons learned from Ivan recovery, they will be able to harden some 3,000 of the most vulnerable houses in oour community." 

 

So far, about 800 Escambia County homes have been strengthened against hurricanes with the first $5 million in grant funds received last year.

 

"We are able to do up to 50 homes a week", said Sandi Woodbery, Rebuild executive director.  "We have been waiting on this additional grant money to ramp up that production."

 

The grant funds can only be used in Escambia County, but a similar FEMA grant of $800,000 was recently granted to Rebuild to harden homes in Santa Rosa County, Woodbery said.

 

Pensacola resident Jeanie Thomas, 75, has been approved for hurricane shutters on her home on Luther Street. 

 

"I think it is a good program," Thomas said.  I don't know much about these shutters, but I'll know better when hurricane season comes."