KEY WEST, Fla. – As the recovery process from Hurricane Irma continues for residents in the Florida Keys, thousands have already applied for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A mobile FEMA unit is set up on Simonton Street in Key West with representatives on site to help answer questions and guide survivors through the process.
"A lot of our response has to do with dealing with everybody in the general public and helping them understand what kind of disaster assistance they need," FEMA representative Kevin Sur said.
For many, it's overwhelming. Many are dealing with FEMA for the first time, waiting in long lines just to apply for assistance. They'll have to wait another week before they're contacted by a representative.
Part of the challenge is that many Keys residents live on boats, many of which were destroyed in the storm.
"We're going to need to know, not only the address of the marina, but we need to directly specify where their boat was -- we need to know what dock, what slip -- so that we can, you know, identify them and speed their recovery," FEMA representative James Taylor said.
FEMA's mobile unit will soon become a disaster recovery center, with the promise of being there as long as it is needed.
Elaine Duke, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, recently visited the Monroe County Emergency Operations Center with Gov. Rick Scott. She assured residents that FEMA will continue to receive funding to help residents return to normal.
"We have no indication that we won't have everything we need from Washington, D.C.," she said.