Sen. Rick Scott: Once FEMA Determines Need, Senate Must Immediately Reconvene to Vote on Helene Aid Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement urging Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately reconvene the Senate and vote on a Hurricane Helene supplemental aid package once the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local and state officials determine the funding need. Senator Scott has been in constant contact with federal officials, local leaders, law enforcement and emergency management officials in communities throughout the state that are impacted by Hurricane Helene to ensure they have the needed resources as they respond to the storm and help Floridians recover. Senator Scott is urging those in need of assistance with a federal agency, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), or any other federal issue while recovering from Hurricane Helene, to contact his office HERE.

Senator Rick Scott said, "Since Category 4 Hurricane Helene made its devastating landfall in the Big Bend and caused massive and destructive storm surge along hundreds of miles of Florida's Gulf Coast, I have been traveling to impacted communities to survey damage and coordinate resources between the local, state and federal governments. What I have seen, from the catastrophic damage in Cedar Key, to the massive destruction caused by unprecedented storm surge in communities from Fort Myers Beach to Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island and north to Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties is heartbreaking. News reports of the devastation in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and other communities impacted by Hurricane Helene are also devastating. Floridians are resilient, but the response and recovery from this storm demands the full and immediate support of government at every level to get families and businesses back to normal. While I know from my experience with previous hurricanes that FEMA and SBA damage assessments take time, I am today urging Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately reconvene the U.S. Senate when those assessments are completed so that we can pass the clean supplemental disaster funding bill and other disaster relief legislation, like my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, needed to ensure the full recovery of families in all impacted communities. While we wait for this critical information, I will keep fighting to make sure that FEMA, the SBA, and the entire federal government is working in total collaboration with state and local officials so we continue to get resources and aid deployed quickly."

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Senator Scott has had daily calls with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) prior to Helene's landfall and has been in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the days after to receive the latest updates on Hurricane Helene. Prior to Helene's landfall, Senator Scott received briefings from law enforcement and emergency management officials in Bay, Franklin, Taylor and Levy Counties and urged Floridians to heed warnings, evacuate and prepare. Since Helene's landfall, Senator Scott has visited Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Levy, Manatee, Lee and Sarasota Counties to receive a briefing from the sheriff and emergency management officials in each county on local response and recovery efforts.

On Saturday night, following Senator Scott and Senator Marco Rubio's letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Florida, President Biden approved the request. This Major Disaster Declaration approval follows last week's approval of the State of Florida's request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for potentially impacted Florida counties at the request of Senators Scott and Rubio.

Senator Scott encourages any Floridians in need of assistance with a federal agency, including FEMA and the SBA, or any other federal issue while recovering from Hurricane Helene to contact his office at www.rickscott.senate.gov/contact/casework. Find additional resources and information on Hurricane Helene response and recovery at www.rickscott.senate.gov/hurricane-season-resources or from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT.

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