OKEECHOBEE — On Wednesday, Oct. 13 Okeechobee County has these updates:

• Okeechobee County Emergency Management Officials are assessing and responding to community needs resulting from Hurricane Ian. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains at Activation Level 2: Partial Activation focused on recovery efforts.

• FEMA has included Okeechobee among the Florida counties now eligible for Individual Assistance. Okeechobee residents can go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ online or any Disaster Reception Center in the state to apply for assistance.
o Residents should be prepared with a photo ID and proof of residency when applying.

• FEMA is sending Disaster Survivor Assistant (DSA) teams door to door in the county to assist residents in applying for assistance.
o A DSA team member may knock on your door to speak to you about applying for assistance.

o All DSA team members carry FEMA issued photo identification and will show it upon request.
o The DSA team is scheduled to have Spanish speaking members and will have access to translation services for other language needs.
o DSA team members will be asking about hurricane damage issues only and will not require proof of citizenship.

• Additional resources available for residents of Okeechobee County:
o Red Cross: www.redcross.org
o Florida Legal Helpline: 866-550-2929

o Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov 800-659-2955
o Mental Health Support: Disaster Distress Helpline: 800-985-5990
o Crisis Cleanup Hotline: www.crisiscleanup.org 800-451-1954

• Hurricane debris removal is continuing throughout the county.
• For continued updates follow us on: Facebook: Okeechobee Emergency-Management or Okeechobee County Government; Okeechobee County Website: www.co.okeechobee.fl.us