OVIEDO, Fla. – Angela Zwarycz stood outside the Oviedo Cultural Center on Center Lake Lane Thursday with her hands full of forms. Zwarycz had just applied for help from FEMA at a mobile registration intake center after her home flooded following Hurricane Ian.
“I think a lot of people feel alone. I feel alone,” said Zwarycz. “Just someone talking to you. Someone just asking how you are, you know?”
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Zwarycz wiped away tears while describing what she’s been through in the days following the storm. She told News 6 she evacuated this weekend when floodwaters rushed inside her home on Lake Harney in Geneva.
‘Once the water started coming in, I was by myself with my dog. I just got in the kayak and started paddling towards my car in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth, holding it, because I was so scared,” she said.
Zwarycz lost almost everything. Since the storm, she’s gone back by boat to see the damage for herself. She told News 6 she has no insurance.
“The homeowners wouldn’t take it because I need a new roof,” said Zwarycz. “That wouldn’t help with flooding anyways.”
Zwarycz said help from FEMA is all she has.
“Job loss, loss of income, if you have a private business at your home, damage to your home. These are all things that may be eligible for assistance,” said Alan Harris with Emergency Management in Seminole County.
Seminole County is urging people to apply after contacting their insurance first. They said people should register even if they have received disaster assistance from FEMA before.
“We had this program during Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Irma, and it helped place a lot of individuals in extended stay hotels,” said Harris.
FEMA representatives will be available to assist under and uninsured clients applying for assistance at the following locations in Seminole County:
- Friday, Oct. 7 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Winter Springs Civic Center, 400 N Edgemon Avenue, Winter Springs
- Sunday, Oct. 9 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Westmonte Park, 624 Bills Lane, Altamonte Springs
- Sunday, October 9 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Midway Park, 2045 Hurston Ave, Sanford
- Monday, October 10 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Harvest Time International, 225 Harvest Time Drive, Sanford
You can also apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance by phone or online.
FEMA Press Secretary Jeremy M. Edwards said in a statement any disaster survivor, regardless of citizenship status, is entitled to apply for relief programs.
“FEMA recognizes the need to help all people before, during and after disasters. Therefore, regardless of citizenship status, any disaster survivor is entitled to short-term, non-cash, in-kind federal emergency disaster relief programs. We also work with nonprofit organizations and the faith based community, including the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, as well as our government partners, to provide access to safe shelter, food, water, and disaster relief programs in order to ensure no one is in need of critical life services.”
“That said, under the law, only U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or qualified non-citizens may be eligible for FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program assistance. However, if an applicant does not fall into one of those categories, the household may still apply and be considered for this assistance if another adult in the household can certify an eligible citizenship status or if the parent or guardian applies on behalf of a minor in the same household who meets the citizenship status requirements. In either of these two circumstances, the household will be considered for assistance, which includes financial grants.”
FEMA Press Secretary Jeremy M. Edwards
To be eligible for any FEMA Individual Assistance program, you must apply to FEMA. There are three ways to apply:
- Download the FEMA App for mobile devices
- Call toll-free 800-621-3362 (FEMA)
For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance go to, FEMA’s YouTube page.