Temporary Hotel Accommodations Extended For Some Irma Survivors

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Florida – FEMA has announced that some Hurricane Irma survivors receiving Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) may be eligible for an extension on their hotel stay.

The extension, which allows for survivors to search for housing, is from Sunday, February 11 through Saturday, March 10. The checkout date will be Sunday, March 11, however, some participants will be ineligible for continued assistance after Saturday, February 24.

Those receiving assistance have registered with FEMA and are eligible for disaster assistance. FEMA will automatically notify all eligible applicants.

The TSA program pays for hotel rooms and applicable taxes for short-term stays. Since Hurricane Irma, the program has been extended five times to help satisfy the demonstrated need of survivors. Participants will receive a phone call about their eligibility for an extension and what needs to be done to stay at a current hotel or find a new hotel.

Over 27,000 households in the state have utilized the TSA program and around 1,900 households remain today. If you are eligible for the program, you have to find and book your own room from a list of participating hotels which can be found at DisasterAssistance.gov and femaevachotels.com. For assistance finding hotels, you may also call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362,  800-462-7585 for TTY, and 800-621-3362 for 711 or Video Relay Service.

Those who are ineligible for the extension program typically have:

  • An accessible home that has been determined to be safe for living in.
  • Insurance and have not provided documentation regarding award or denial.
  • Not shown progress in finding a long-term housing solution.

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