7 years after hurricanes, Orlando waits for FEMA cash

When we decided to move to Florida, we picked Central Florida because hurricanes were not supposed to hit here. We moved in June of 2004. Charley, Frances and Jeanne decided that it was time Central Florida got a wakeup call from Mother Nature. Our neighbors had a great time blaming us for the welcome party.

7 years after hurricanes, Orlando waits for FEMA cash

By Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel
8:48 p.m. EDT, April 10, 2011


The roofs were repaired long ago and the uprooted trees are just a memory, but nearly seven years after the disastrous 2004 hurricane season, Orlando City Hall is still trying to collect some cash from FEMA.

Long after hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne blew through Florida in quick succession, officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state Department of Emergency Management continue to comb through invoices from truckloads of fallen tree limbs and stump-removal crews, trying to determine how much Orlando should be reimbursed for its cleanup expenses.

"If asked in 2004 how long I would expect the reimbursement process to take, I would not have said seven years," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

Over the years, FEMA has paid most reimbursement claims from cities, counties and nonprofit agencies for cleanup, rebuilding and other expenses related to Florida's unprecedented hurricane season.
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7 years after hurricanes, Orlando waits for FEMA cash