ORLANDO, Fla. — Four months after Hurricane Ian plowed through the state, Central Florida governments continue tallying the costs and assembling reports for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, hoping to recoup a chunk of the tens of millions of dollars spent on getting rid of debris, evacuating residents from flooded homes, clearing roadways and waterways, and setting up emergency shelters.
Because Ian dropped a record amount of rain when it swept through the region in late September, it caused more flooding than wind damage, unlike hurricanes Irma in 2017 and Charley in 2004. Therefore the final costs Ian may likely not be as high as after the previous storms, officials said.
“A lot more roofs were destroyed by Irma,” said Alan Harris, chief administrator for Seminole’s office of emergency management. Ian “was a lot more water damage. And the damage to the power infrastructure was much worse with Irma than with Ian.”
Hurricane Charley, which landed in Florida’s southwest coast in August 2004 with winds of nearly 150 mph, was one of the most damaging storms to hit the state. It packed gusts of up to 106 mph as it flew over the Orlando International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
Charley caused an estimated $16 billion in damage across the state and more than $100 million in Central Florida, including over $50 million in Orange County. Officials, however, cautioned when comparing damage assessments that costs are much higher today than in 2004 because of inflation.
Seminole officials this week said Ian cost the county an estimated nearly $39 million. That includes $17.5 million in damages, $7.6 million in debris removal, $3.6 in emergency response, and about $10 million in clearing debris and fixing erosion along the county’s waterways. Seminole expects to recover about $28 million from FEMA.
The federal agency typically reimburses counties about 75% of most costs after a disaster, while state and local governments split the difference.
Local governments depend on FEMA for help in recovering from disasters. That money comes from the federal treasury to pay the bills for nearly everything, including setting up emergency shelters, clearing debris, and rescuing residents from flooded homes.
Hurricane Nicole, which was downgraded to a tropical storm when it swept through Central Florida in early November, cost Seminole about $1 million after dropping up to 7 inches of rain in some areas. However, the county did not meet the $6 million threshold to be reimbursed by FEMA.
Still, that extra rain exacerbated damage to already flooded homes in Seminole, Harris.
Orange County officials said they continue calculating the costs with FEMA regarding Ian and did not provide any numbers.
“Total costs won’t be available for several weeks as meetings with departments are not complete,” said Kelly Finkelstein, a county spokesperson.
Like Seminole, Orange also did not meet the threshold for reimbursements for Nicole.
In Orlando, where Ian dropped a historic 16 inches of rain that flooded neighborhoods and homes, officials estimated the storm cost the city $25 million. The city expects to recoup about $22.1 million, according to Ashley Papagni, an Orlando spokesperson.
Those costs cover damage to roads, buildings, recreational facilities, water reclamation sites, lift stations and debris removal, she said.
City crews spent weeks removing debris from outside soggy homes, including waterlogged sofas, carpets and other materials.
Nicole was far less damaging, with the city incurring about $450,000. The city expects to be reimbursed for $400,000.
Lake County officials also continue tabulating the final damage estimates for FEMA regarding Ian. But they calculate it could reach as much $16.6 million, which includes about $4.6 million in property damage.
“That number can be used as a rough estimate, but will not be finalized until the report (to FEMA) is finalized,” said Sarah Lux, a county spokesperson.
In Osceola, county officials said they are seeking nearly $1.5 million in FEMA reimbursement. That includes nearly $620,000 for protective measures, $600,000 for repairs caused by erosion and $218,267 for debris management.
Estimated insured losses continue to increase from Ian and were tallied at nearly $10.3 billion as of this week, according to the state Office of Insurance Regulation. The state-supported Citizens Property Insurance Corp. estimated costs from the storm at $3.8 billion.
By comparison, Irma caused more than $20.6 billion in losses.
Across the state, $908 million in FEMA individual assistance has been approved for 371,108 households as a result of Ian.
“Each storm is different,” Harris said. “You can’t judge this storm by the last storm.”
Harris said Seminole can better prepare for future storms through flood mitigation.
“That benefits the whole community,” he said. “It hurts us all when people continue to get flooded over and over again. Insurance companies move out of the state, or they jack up our rates.”
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(Orlando Sentinel reporters Ryan Gillespie and Natalia Jaramillo contributed to this report.
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