December 14, 2022 – President Joe Biden on last night approved a disaster declaration for portions of the State of Florida, including Flagler County, that sets into motion Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance to assist county residents with expenses related to Hurricane Nicole.

“It feels like a long time coming, but at least our residents who were affected by Nicole can get the help they so greatly need,” said Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. “Fortunately, FEMA already has a Disaster Recovery Center operating in Flagler County, which will help to ease the process.”

Individuals and households in Flagler County can apply online for FEMA Individual Assistance, which may include temporary housing assistance, basic home repairs and certain other uninsured disaster-related needs. Links to available resources, including FEMA assistance, can be found at www.FlaglerCounty.gov/Nicole.

Residents who have limited internet access – or prefer to apply in person – can visit the Disaster Recovery Center, which is located in a large tent near the arena in the center of the Flagler County Fairground property, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Disaster Recovery Centers serve as FEMA’s local outreach offices to provide disaster survivors with information from it, as well as from Florida state agencies and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Survivors can get help applying for federal assistance and disaster loans, update applications and learn about other resources available.

“We have had a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center specifically for those impacted by Hurricane Ian here at the Fairgrounds since the end of October to assist our residents and businesses, and now they can also assist those impacted by Nicole,” Lord said. “It is likely that the facility will remain open until at least the middle of January, and likely longer, now that there is a declaration for Nicole for Flagler County.”

Survivors can apply for disaster assistance directly at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. or by using the FEMA mobile app. Those who use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, will need to provide FEMA the number for that service.

For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to, youtube.com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw.

For the latest information on available programs and services for Hurricane Ian and Nicole, please regularly visit www.FlaglerCounty.gov/Ian or www.FlaglerCounty.gov/Nicole.

Also, stay up to date by following @FlaglerEOC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as staying updated at the Emergency Management website at www.FlaglerCounty.gov/emergency.