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.”
