TALLAHASSEE – Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday requested that Florida counties affected by Hurricane Isaac receive federal assistance to aid in the recovery process. A request was made for Public Assistance to be granted to Bay, Collier, Escambia, Monroe, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, and Santa Rosa counties. The request also includes statewide funding for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance provides grant assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures. Costs for repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly-owned facilities can also be covered under Public Assistance. In order for Florida to receive assistance through the federal disaster relief programs, the state must meet the threshold of $25 million in uninsured damages.

State and FEMA teams, along with county emergency management officials, commenced Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments for Public Assistance on August 31. Federal assistance is requested for Public Assistance only. Individuals who have experienced disaster-related damage to homes or businesses should call their local county emergency management agency to receive disaster-related information and to document damages with officials. A list of county emergency management agencies can be found at www.FloridaDisaster.org.

Due to the potential impacts of Hurricane Isaac, Governor Scott signed Executive Order 12-199, declaring a statewide state of emergency on Saturday, August 25. Hurricane Isaac made landfall south of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 28, as a Category 1 storm.

Tropical storm force winds were observed across much of South Florida, portions of west-central Florida, and the western Florida panhandle. The Florida peninsula had two confirmed tornadoes, water levels rose as high as six feet in southwest Florida and the Florida panhandle, causing coastal erosion. Portions of south Florida received six inches of rain and areas in Palm Beach County received as high as 15.86 inches, causing localized flooding.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 – November 30. Visit www.FloridaDisaster.org to Get A Plan! For the latest information on the 2012 Hurricane Season, follow FDEM on Twitter at @FLSERT, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT and on Google+ at FLSERT.