Latest news with #Czyszczon
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deadline extended to June for FEMA program helping hurricane victims
The Brief The deadline has been extended to June for FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program helping hurricane victims. With the extended deadline, officials say eligibility will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis every two weeks. FEMA says people should continue to keep the information on their accounts updated and check for updates on their case. TAMPA, Fla. - As FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program was set to end, the deadline has been extended. The TSA program has provided hotel housing to thousands of people across Tampa Bay who were displaced after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Timeline The deadline for the TSA program was set for Thursday. People were expecting to have to move out of the hotels they've been living in for months, and many of them had nowhere else to go. On Wednesday afternoon, FEMA announced an extension to the TSA program following a request from the State of Florida. FEMA says the deadline for the TSA program is now June 8 for households with significant FEMA-verified damage that has been categorized as major damage or destroyed. The program extension also includes household that are waiting on placement through the Direct Temporary Housing program. What they're saying "I'm just ready to get in a home and it's just taking a long time for that to happen," Rule said. Jason Rule has been living out of hotels for about six months. He says the home he was renting in South Pasadena had to be torn down after is was destroyed during Helene. "You go from your own home with what you have to a one-room with your family. And again, it's nice to have a lid over your head, but it's been rough because once FEMA started giving extensions, you live two weeks, to two weeks, to two weeks, to two weeks," Rule said. Rule is also a contractor and has been trying to get other people back in their homes as quickly as possible. He says they've made progress with permitting and construction, and he hopes it continues. "Permits are being issued now, but it takes time for the work to be done," Rule said. READ: St. Pete Beach storm victims still out of their homes with FEMA hotel stays set to end: 'I'll be homeless' The Plaza Beach Hotel in St. Pete Beach has been exclusively housing displaced residents and families for about six months. "It took the first three months just to get a permit," Robert Czyszczon, the Plaza Beach Hotel General Manager said. "So, once they got a permit, they had to get the contractors, they had to get everything put together, so people are in the process of getting back into their homes, but they just need a little bit more time." Czyszczon says most of his guests have homes, but they've been waiting on repairs to be made. "Some of them only need two more weeks," Czyszczon said. "I've talked to some of the residents here. Some need two weeks, some need three weeks." With the extended deadline to FEMA's TSA program, officials say eligibility will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis every two weeks. FEMA officials say that at this stage in the recovery process, the eligibility requirements will become more narrowly defined and focused on the severity of damage and the progress in securing permanent housing. FEMA says people should continue to keep the information on their accounts updated and check for updates on their case. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘It's like roulette': Pinellas hotel owner concerned over abrupt deadline for FEMA housing help
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Several hurricane survivors are facing uncertainty as they continue to rely on temporary housing help from FEMA. Many have been caught in the permit backlog and are still unable to begin the process to rebuild their homes. Rays 'cannot move forward' with new ballpark deal, owner says However, they're also up against a looming deadline that's catching many people off guard. Spring break is here and the rooms at the Plaza Beach Hotel are booked, but dozens of guests are uncertain about the length of their stay. 'Every two weeks you're going to be on eggshells about whether you're going to be here or not,' said Bobby Sather. 'Mentally, it's been very draining.' Sather's home was destroyed in the storms; however, he has been able to stay afloat with help from the FEMA Temporary Shelter Assistance program. 'For a long-term solution, I would get a storage unit and put my items in there,' Sather said. 'If the weather was really inclement, I would stay there until the weather was over.' Robert Czyszczon is the owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel. He reserved all rooms for those recovering from the storms, but this week he received a surprising notice from FEMA that requires several storm victims to check out on March 13. Many will have to leave abruptly without a place to live. Venice replacing damaged seawall, adding 4-foot tall glass flood barrier 'Today is the 13th, but people that have the extension until the 24th had the rug pulled from them, and now they have to leave on the 13th rather than the 24th when they assumed they were going to leave,' Czyszczon said. 'It's almost like a roulette table when you have no idea how the dice is going to roll,' Czyszczon added. The FEMA deadline also comes with a caveat. 'We don't know where we're going to be from two weeks to the next or where we're going to go when the money from FEMA runs out,' said Wendy Athens. Meanwhile, Sather is still picking up the pieces while holding onto memories and hope. 'They're in my mind, but I can't pick them up and hold them,' he said. FEMA responded to the deadline concerns with the following statement: Transitional Sheltering Assistance is a temporary program to help survivors transition to more permanent housing. Upon reviewing with our team, we checked on the hotel you asked about and there have been 6 households who have had to check out this week because they no longer met TSA eligibility criteria. These applicants were provided 7-day notices of their ineligibility. As of today, we can report another 42 households remain eligible for TSA and using this hotel. FEMA FEMA also provided the following information: Transitional Sheltering Assistance Transitional Sheltering Assistance is available for Floridians displaced by Helene or Milton in 52 counties and for tribal members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians. Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) was requested by the state of Florida and approved on Oct. 15 for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As of March 10, just over 8,000 Households (19,966 people) are checked into TSA participating hotels and motels in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Generally, every 14 days FEMA will review applicants' eligibility for continued TSA. Applicants who meet the conditions of continued eligibility may remain in TSA. Eligible applicants may choose to stay at any TSA participating lodging facility where a vacancy is available. FEMA provides a list of approved lodging facilities on lodging information on and help through the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Examples of when an applicant will be deemed ineligible for TSA: Pre-disaster primary residence is deemed safe to occupy through a FEMA inspection. The home noted in the applicant's registration is not the applicant's primary residence. An applicant is linked with another applicant who may be receiving FEMA assistance. An inspector was not able to complete a home inspection after three attempts to contact the applicant or the applicant failed to show for one or more inspection appointments. The applicant received rental assistance from FEMA. The applicant has insurance that provides Additional Living Expenses or Loss of Use coverage or has not submitted documentation to prove they do not have these coverages. Failure to comply with the TSA Terms and Conditions. The applicant indicated they did not have damage to their primary residence at the time of application. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
