Emergency officials said Monday afternoon survey teams finished individual assistance (IA) damage assessments Sunday, reporting that 1,531 residences (single, multi-family or mobile) are listed with minor or major damage (619 - major, 912 - minor).

This assessment compiled numbers to determine eligibility for federal assistance to residents. For homeowners who do not have flood insurance, individual assistance grants typically are available following disasters for these “underinsured” residents.

The assistance can include disaster housing, individual and household programs, unemployment assistance, legal assistance, crisis counseling, Small Business Administration disaster loans and other needs.

Public Assistance (PA) assessments will begin Tuesday for commercial and government buildings. Public Assistance assessments assists in the recovery of governmental entities.

On Tuesday, Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno plans to request a seven-day extension for the local Declaration of Emergency issued by the Volusia County Council May 21. The declarations aid in providing relief to the citizens and public agencies responding to the significant flooding. They also add the potential for financial assistance from state and federal resources.

“We know thousands of Volusia County residents are suffering today, as they have been since the high waters began accumulating from this rainfall, and we want them to be assured Volusia County Emergency Management is making every essential move to get state and federal assistance to our area as soon as possible,” Bruno said. “I and my fellow County Council members, many of whom have been in the field for days assisting residents, understand the extreme nature of this event. We are here to support them and the cities and agencies that also are assisting them. We’re working together to expedite recovery.”

Late Sunday, May 24, Gov. Charlie Crist, through Major Phil May, FEMA Region IV Regional Administrator in Atlanta, requested Major Disaster Declaration (Individual Assistance) from President Barack Obama.

Volusia County Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath said Monday afternoon he’s witnessed unprecedented cooperation between the state, federal and local damage assessment teams in assessing the effects of the recent significant rainfall in the county. “We are really working together to get the money flowing,” said Gilreath. “We’ve been focusing on finalizing the process more quickly. We all know that the quicker these assessments are made, the quicker the relief will come to the citizens who desperately need it.

“Flooding, in particular with this storm, has presented challenging assessments because water does not always flow where you think it might, and flooding doesn’t always occur where you think it might,” added Gilreath. “In some areas, the flooded areas are not the lowest in the flood plain. The unprecedented rainfall and flooding have presented challenges to our process.”

The Volusia County Emergency Operations Center will return to level 3 monitoring activation Tuesday. Volusia County emergency management officials will continue public sheltering, assisting cities, assisting the Property Appraiser’s Office with damage assessment and continue the recovery assessment process and coordinate the opening of the ESCs.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES CENTERS TO OPEN TUESDAY

State Emergency Management representatives arrived in Volusia County Monday to join county and city efforts in setting up ESCs in Holly Hill and Daytona Beach. The ESCs will open at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, at:

• Holly Hill Recreation Center
  1046 Daytona Ave., Holly Hill - map
• Daytona Beach Public Works training room
  950 Bellevue Ave., Daytona Beach - map

The centers will be open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. seven days a week, until further notice. ESCs are designed as a one-stop shop where local residents can receive information on recovery activities, state and local services, and connect to faith- and community-based relief organizations. The centers are interim facilities to assist flood survivors while local damage assessments continue and federal disaster requests are pending. If Volusia County receives a federal declaration and FEMA offers client assistance, these centers may become Disaster Recovery Centers, and federal assistance and referrals will be offered in addition to local and state resources.

Identification is required for people seeking assistance at the ESCs. The Emergency Services Centers are being coordinated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and will be staffed by representatives from:

• Florida Department of Children and Families
• Florida Department of Elder Affairs
• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• Coast-to-Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross
• The affected cities

The Center for Business Excellence (Workforce Development Board) is also located at the ESCs to provide employment and unemployment information.

Other local community partners and social service agencies have been invited. Information will be available from the Florida Department of Financial Services, Workforce Development Board, and United Way's 2-1-1 First Call for Help.

RAINFALL TOTALS (MAY 17 - 24)

• Daytona Beach - 12.11 inches
• DeLand - 12.44 inches
• DeLeon Springs - 15.97 inches
• Deltona - 13.43 inches
• Edgewater - 19.30 inches
• Ormond Beach - 27.92 inches
• New Smyrna Beach - 19.43 inches

SCHOOLS REOPENING TUESDAY

All Volusia County schools and Daytona State College will re-open Tuesday morning, May 26.

DEBRIS PICK-UP

City of Daytona Beach garbage pickup

As workers run the pick-up route that continues in flood areas Tuesday, May 26, they are going to be putting out up to 6,000 tags on the garbage cans of flood-affected residents explaining how to put flood debris out for pick-up (see guidelines below).

The following are guidelines requested for City of Daytona Beach residents:

• Use heavy-duty bags for all storm debris.
• Put all debris that is not bagged in a container.
• Cut carpet in 6-foot sections and roll (small enough for a single worker to pick up).

Important note: There is an additional garbage pick-up for flood-affected residents scheduled Saturday, May 30.

Unincorporated Volusia County debris/garbage pickup

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not reimburse local governments for debris removal from damaged homes and businesses. Flood insurance will pay for proper disposal at a permitted landfill. Residents need to make sure contractors remove debris from their property before final payment is made.

Commercial dumpsters should be used for properly permitted repairs. Citizens wanting to use curbside pick up should follow their existing removal guidelines. For additional information, call Volusia County’s Solid Waste Division at (386) 943-7889.

• Residents should always separate vegetative debris from home debris.
• Residents can bring their household hazardous waste to the Tomoka Landfill in Port Orange and the West Volusia Transfer Station in DeLand year-round for free disposal. These facilities also provide a paint exchange program and electronic waste recycling for residents without charge. For more information, please call Volusia County Solid Waste at (386) 947-2952.
• Homeowners should call their waste hauler to schedule an appointment to remove appliances and furniture.
• Businesses generating hazardous waste need to contact their hazardous waste hauler or Volusia County Environmental Management at (386) 736-5927 for assistance or questions.

EMERGENCY SHELTER/DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The American Red Cross closed the flood relief shelter at SICA Hall, 1065 Daytona Ave., Holly Hill, at noon Monday, May 25. The shelter at the Westside Baptist Church, 1085 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach, remains open for special-needs and general population residents affected by flooding. As of 7 a.m. Monday, Westside Baptist Church was sheltering 19 residents.

Since the American Red Cross began providing assistance to affected residents May 21, the disaster recovery agency has distributed 407 meals, 687 snacks, 266 clean-up kits, 360 gloves, 24 rakes, 24 shovels, and mosquito spray and hand sanitizer.

American Red Cross volunteers continue to distribute clean-up kits to areas of Volusia County affected by flooding. The kits containing mops, bleach, sponges, buckets, and other cleaning and sanitizing materials are being distributed street by street by Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle crews. Distribution will continue until late afternoon Monday.

The need for additional services in Volusia and Flagler counties will continue to be assessed throughout the day.

Residents who are experiencing home damage as a result of this week's rainfall should contact the American Red Cross at (386) 226-1400. For additional information and referrals, please call 2-1-1 or (386) 253-0564.

REMINDER: NO WAKE ZONE

Heavy rains in Lake and Volusia counties have caused portions of the St. Johns River in the Astor area to rise to 2.8 feet, which is flood stage, enacting emergency idle-speed/no-wake zones, which will be in effect until levels recede. The emergency zones are in effect north of the S.R. 40 Bridge in Astor.

Boating-restricted areas are established to regulate speed and operation of vessel traffic on the St. Johns River in Lake, Seminole and Volusia counties, per Florida Administrative Code 68D-24.018.