Hurricane Milton Update No. 53
Hillsborough County, Fla. (Oct. 19, 2024) - The Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are closing the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) location at the Barksdale Center, 1801 N. Lincoln Ave., Tampa, FL, after it services the community on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
The site was originally scheduled to be open through Tuesday, Oct. 22 but is closing earlier than originally planned so that the facility can be transitioned to a polling location for the upcoming elections. A new DRC location will be opened in the coming days.
Residents in Hillsborough County who were impacted by Hurricanes Milton, Helene, and Debby can apply for aid through the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) if they have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs, according to FEMA. However, the IHP assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster.
Residents do not need to apply for assistance in person. Visit Disasterassistance.gov to apply. From this page you can review the application process, apply for Individual Assistance, and check the status of your application.
For application help, call the FEMA Helpline, (800) 621-3362, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. For technical support or site errors, call the Internet Help Desk, (800) 745-0243, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Residents are able to find resources available in our community at HCFL.gov/StormRecovery.
Get Connected. Stay Alert.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to register for HCFL Alert, Hillsborough County's official public notification system for emergency and urgent alerts. To receive messages by email, phone, and text, go to HCFL.gov/HCFLAlert. For the latest emergency-related information visit HCFL.gov/StaySafe. Residents without digital access are encouraged to call (833) HC STORM or (833) 427-8676, the County's storm information and helpline.