Dear Central Florida, 

Now that we are in the recovery phase from Hurricane Irma, I am working alongside our local government and my colleagues at the federal level to assess the damage and do everything possible to rebuild our community quickly. 

First, I would like to acknowledge and express my gratitude to all the emergency management team, first responders, police departments, healthcare workers, and thousands of volunteers that have been working to keep Florida safe throughout this catastrophic storm.

Today, I led a letter with support from the Central Florida delegation to President Trump, urging the administration to consider including Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, and Seminole County, Florida for individual assistance in the major disaster declaration that was approved for Hurricane Irma. For this FEMA “Designation of Individual Assistance” to be granted we need your help in collecting statistics on the local damage in our area. To participate, please complete the survey below: 

Did your home incur damages caused by Hurricane Irma? If so, please describe the damage in detail below:

Are you experiencing power outages in your home? If so, for how long and who is your utility company?

Do you give us permission to share your information with FEMA and your local emergency operations county?

Yes  No

Note: By participating in this survey, you are subscribing to my e-newsletter.

Please submit pictures of property damages to FL09HurricaneDamage@mail.house.gov

My offices in Kissimmee, Haines City, Lake Nona, Lake Wales, and Winter Haven are closed until power has been restored. Please contact my D.C. office should you need any assistance, (202) 225-9889, and visit my website's resources page for further updates. 

Together, we will overcome these challenges. Stay strong, Florida!

Sincerely,


Darren Soto
Member of Congress

FEMA Assistance to Individuals and Households

The Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides financial help or direct services to those who have necessary expenses and serious needs if they are unable to meet the needs through other means. Assistance includes: Housing repair, replacement and construction, grants for uninsured, disaster-related necessary expenses, and serious needs. Click here for more information. 

Utilities Updates and Outages

• OUC: Orange County call 407-423-9018, Osceola County call: 407-957-7373
•  TECO Gas: 1-877-832-6747
•  Orange County Utilities: 407-836-2777
•  Florida Power & Light Company: to report or check the status of an outage, please visit the FPL website if possible. To report a dangerous condition such as a downed power line, call 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) immediately. 
• Duke Energy: to report outages, please contact 1-800-228-8485. This report shows a breakdown of current outages by counties.