While living in and visiting Florida offers many benefits and advantages, it is important to keep in mind severe weather hazards and potential threats. Every family and business should have predefined emergency plans and always keep an emergency supply kit ready and stocked.
Each Florida county has a designated emergency management program, and residents, businesses, and visitors should also visit their county’s emergency management for the most up-to-date and locally significant information.
Hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding are just a few of the many hazards Floridians are subject to – don’t wait until disaster strikes, develop a family plan today! To get started, visit Make A Family Plan.
Did you know that 40 percent of businesses never re-open their doors post-disaster? Don’t become a statistic. Protect your business by developing a business disaster plan. Visit Make A Business Plan to get started today.
The State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) is a toll-free hotline activated at the time of an emergency to provide an additional resource for those in Florida to receive accurate and up-to-date information regarding an emergency or disaster situation impacting the State of Florida.
The SAIL hotline is: 1-800-342-3557.
The SAIL hotline is only operational during an emergency event; at all other times, a recorded message with general information about the hotline is available.
During an emergency, the SAIL hotline is operational daily at set hours depending on the severity of the event. Please stay tuned to your local officials and/or log on to the www.floridadisaster.org during an emergency event for exact hours of operation.
Those persons in Florida may access information from SAIL hotline operators on how to prepare before/during/after a hurricane, road closures and alternate routes, available/open shelters in host or impacted counties, shelters designed for special needs patients, hotels and motels that accept pets, boaters instructions for moving watercraft to safer ground, and re-entry information once it is safe to return to the affected area.
If an emergency has forced you to evacuate your home, or disrupted your access to essential services, the Red Cross may be able to help.
You may be eligible for disaster assistance following Hurricane Ian through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Operation Blue Roof is managed by the Corps for FEMA. The purpose of Operation Blue Roof is to provide homeowners in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced plastic sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until arrangements can be made for permanent repairs. Operation Blue Roof protects property, reduces temporary housing costs, and allows residents to remain in their homes while recovering from the storm.
Disaster Assistance in the form of low interest loans to businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters in regions affected by disasters.
Every year it’s important for residents to know if they live an evacuation zone, a low-lying, flood prone area, a mobile home or an unsafe structure during hurricane season. These areas and buildings are most likely to be evacuated and knowing these zones helps Floridians prepare to evacuate and better understand orders from local officials.
Know Your Zone Map