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Leon County
Board of County Commissioners Agenda Item#15 June 11, 2024 |
| To: | Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board |
| From: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
| Title: | Final Report on the Targeted Emergency Assistance Microgrant (TEAM) Leon Program |
| Review and Approval: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
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Department/Division Review and Approval: |
Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Shington Lamy, Assistant County Administrator Mathieu Cavell, Director, Community Relations and Resilience Roshaunda Bradley, Director, Office of Management and Budget |
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Lead Staff/ Project Team: |
Abigail G. Sanders, Health and Human Services Manager Jelani Marks, Housing Services Manager |
Statement of Issue:
This item provides a final report on the successful launch and implementation of the Targeted Emergency Assistance Microgrant (TEAM) Leon Program established by the Board to provide immediate assistance to individuals and businesses impacted by the May 10, 2024 tornadoes event as a bridge to eventual federal aid.
Fiscal Impact:
This item does not have a fiscal impact.
Staff Recommendation:
Option #1: Accept the report on the Targeted Emergency Assistance Microgrant Leon Program.
Report and Discussion
Background:
This item provides a final report on the successful launch and implementation of the TEAM Leon Program established by the Board to provide immediate assistance to individuals and businesses impacted by the May 10, 2024 tornadoes event as a bridge to eventual federal aid. This report includes an overview of the TEAM Leon Program, the successful community outreach and disbursement of the grant funds, a summary of the individuals and businesses that received financial assistance through TEAM Leon, and information on the County’s Catastrophe Fund which was the funding source for the TEAM Leon Program. An after-action report on the County’s ongoing response and recovery operations to the May 10th tornado outbreak will be provided at the Board's July 9th meeting.
In the early morning of May 10, 2024, Leon County experienced one of the most powerful storms in nearly 40 years with widespread, catastrophic wind damage. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado outbreak in Tallahassee involved three tornadoes. Two tornadoes, both rated EF-2 with winds of 115 mph, converged at the Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee-Leon County after wreaking havoc across the city's urban core. This rare convergence amplified the destruction, leaving a wide swath of damage, including snapped trees and demolished structures along their paths. Meanwhile, a third tornado, rated EF-1 with winds up to 110 mph, traveled over 31 miles, impacting the Woodville, Lake Talquin, and the Chaires areas of unincorporated Leon County, as well as several urban centers and neighborhoods. This tornado primarily caused tree damage but significantly disrupted the community, affecting roads, homes, and local infrastructure.
Immediately following the tornado outbreak, Damage Assessment Teams deployed by Leon County Emergency Management counted more than 170 destroyed structures and approximately 725 majorly damaged structures (74 destroyed and 226 majorly damaged structures in unincorporated Leon County). At noon on Friday, May 10, the County declared a local state of emergency to facilitate response and recovery operations and position the community to receive any potential state and federal aid. At the same time, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for North Florida counties, including Leon, affected by the storm.
The state declaration helps position Leon County and our affected region for possible FEMA aid with a federal declaration which remains pending at the time of this writing. The federal declaration would provide Public Assistance, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, permanent work, and Hazard Mitigation for ten counties, along with Individual Assistance for Leon County. Less than a week following the tornado event, FEMA representatives were on the ground conducting disaster assessment in coordination with County Emergency Management and Damage Assessment Teams as part of the evaluation for a federal declaration of disaster for the community.
On May 14, 2024, a presentation was provided to the Board on the County’s immediate response to the tornadoes which included the removal of more than 1,500 trees from roads, rights-of-ways, and County property; clearance of more than 130 County roads in less than 24 hours; the deployment of the Damage Assessment Teams which serves as a crucial step in seeking federal aid and deploying human services; the most aggressive public information and disaster readiness campaign with messages seen, read, or heard nearly 5 million times; the coordination with the City, state agencies, and non-profit organizations on welfare checks and direct assistance to independent living facilities; and coordination of the community's largest mass care effort by opening, overseeing, and helping staff three points of distribution in the hardest hit areas. In total, the County points of distribution operated for seven days and served 1,833 cars, distributed 5,035 cases of water, 1,539 cases of meals ready-to-eat (MREs), and 7,004 tarps. The commodities distributed for disaster relief in our community were valued at $1.4 million.
Following the presentation, the Board directed the allocation of $1 million from the County’s Catastrophe Fund to establish a microgrant program specifically for residents and businesses in unincorporated Leon County impacted by the May 10th tornadoes. As detailed in the Analysis, TEAM Leon was developed and launched on May 23rd, nine days following the Board’s action. The County received more than 2,100 applications from individuals and businesses. The $1 million approved by the Board was fully awarded to 419 individual households and 53 businesses (total of 472) to provide a financial bridge to those most impacted by the storms. With the completion of TEAM Leon Program, the County continues to await a federal disaster declaration which would bring FEMA aid into the community. Additionally, the County and other partners continue to provide resources in the community to residents impacted by the tornado outbreak as detailed in the Analysis.
Analysis:
As directed by the Board, the TEAM Leon Program was established to provide temporary and immediate, emergency financial assistance until extensive and more long-term federal aid becomes available in the community through a federal disaster declaration. The Program was launched on Thursday, May 23, 2024, via an online application (LeonCountyFl.gov/TEAM) and the activation of three application assistance centers to support residents and businesses with their applications. As described further below, a dedicated team of more than 50 County employees was assembled representing 20 County departments and divisions with specializations in emergency management, customer service, risk management, finance, grant management and compliance, building inspection, housing and human services, to quickly and successfully implement the Team Leon Program. The following provides an overview of the TEAM Leon Program, the successful community outreach and disbursement of the grant funds, and a summary of the individuals and businesses awarded financial assistance through TEAM Leon.
TEAM Leon Program Overview
As directed by the Board, the TEAM Leon Program was established for residents (Individual Assistance) and businesses (Business Assistance) in unincorporated Leon County. The program was designed with input from the County’s disaster recovery consultant, Hagerty Consulting, to ensure TEAM Leon would not adversely impact the ability for residents and businesses to receive FEMA and other federal or state assistance.
TEAM Leon provided the following:
A higher level of grant funding was provided to businesses in recognition that businesses typically experience a larger amount of expenses including revenue loss following natural disasters. Additionally, FEMA does not provide grant funding for businesses. However, a federal disaster declaration would provide businesses access to low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that can be used for structure repair or replacement, personal property, vehicles, mitigation, business losses, and working capital for small business. SBA loans would also be accessible to individuals for home repair and replacement.
To ensure residents and businesses with the highest needs were assisted, applications with major property damages or destroyed, as defined by FEMA, or along the path of the tornadoes were prioritized for review and funding. All funds were exhausted within this priority category.
Community Outreach
In order to ensure awareness of the TEAM Leon Program, the County launched a targeted promotional campaign to inform affected households and businesses in unincorporated area that included approximately 300 mailers to impacted properties identified through our damage assessment process. In addition, text message alerts were sent to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas based on the population of the hardest hit areas. Additionally, street outreach teams consisting of County staff engaged residents, going door-to-door distributing flyers, and placing door hangars in the community. Other outreach efforts included digital and billboard ads, targeted social media posts, and news advisories.
Application and Funding Process
As mentioned earlier, residents and businesses applied for the TEAM Leon Program through an online application. The County utilized the same platform previously used to distribute federal grant funding during the COVID pandemic. Application Assistance Centers were established in the areas most impacted by the tornado outbreak including the Fort Braden Community Center, Woodville Branch Library, and the Eastside Branch Library to provide residents and businesses in-person assistance with completing and submitting their applications. More than 400 residents were assisted at the Centers. Additionally, the TEAM Leon Helpline was established to answer questions about the program and navigate the online application. The TEAM Leon Helpline received more than 1,000 calls. A team of County staff reviewed applications for eligibility and to make additional damage assessments to properties as needed to determine funding awards. Awardees were given the option to have checks mailed or picked up at a County office.
Funded Individuals and Businesses
As mentioned earlier, 472 individual households and businesses received financial assistance through the TEAM Leon Program; 419 of recipients were individual households (Attachment #1); 53 of the recipients were small businesses located in unincorporated Leon County including restaurants, fitness centers, and hardware stores (Attachment #2). Approximately 74% of funding was awarded to individual households and 26% was awarded to businesses.
All recipients of TEAM Leon for Individuals Assistance and Business Assistance experienced major damage to their structure, were along the path of the tornadoes, or both. As a result, immediate financial support for critical and emergency needs was quickly provided to residents and businesses in unincorporated Leon County most impacted by the tornado outbreak as a bridge until federal aid becomes available as well as other resources in the community.
Additional Resources in the Community
In addition to TEAM Leon, additional resources have been activated through the County and other local partners to provide assistance to residents impacted by the tornado outbreak of May 10, 2024. This includes the County’s State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Disaster Recovery Program and the American Red Cross.
SHIP Disaster Recovery Program
Immediately following the tornado outbreak, the County requested and received a waiver from the State to allow for the immediate use of approximately $600,000 of County SHIP funds for the Disaster Recovery Program. The County’s SHIP Disaster Recovery Program provides up to $30,000 in assistance to low to moderate income homeowners in the unincorporated areas that experienced damage to their homes due to the tornado outbreak. Assistance includes funding to eligible homeowners for structural repairs, insurance deductibles; emergency supplies; as well as utility, mortgage, and temporary relocation costs.
SHIP is administered through the State of Florida and is the primary source of funding for the County’s Housing Programs including down payment assistance and housing rehabilitation. The SHIP Disaster Recovery Program was established by the Board in 2016 following Hurricane Hermine and, per Florida Statutes, can be activated following a disaster declaration by the President or Governor. The waiver from the State allowed the County to accept applications without the normal 30-day notice of funding requirement. The waiver also provided the County the opportunity to aggressively promote and launch the Disaster Recovery Program simultaneously with the TEAM Leon Program.
Similar to TEAM Leon, residents apply utilizing an online application which remains available to homeowners in the unincorporated areas to apply through Monday, June 10th (one month since the tornado event). Five (5) applications have been submitted thus far with another 93 applications pending submission by applicants to upload required documentation such as homeownership and income verification. All applications are being reviewed by the County’s Housing Services Division for award. At the time of this writing, three awards have been made for a total of $40,000 for roof repairs, utility assistance, mortgage assistance, temporary relocation cost reimbursements, and insurance deductibles. The Housing Services Division is actively reaching out to homeowners that have been awarded TEAM Leon funding to ensure that they are aware of the Disaster Recovery Program and provide assistance with completing the online application if necessary.
American Red Cross
The Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross (American Red Cross) initiated its Accelerated Assistance program to support those affected by the May 10th tornadoes. This program provides financial assistance for essentials, health support, and emotional care to disaster victims. Caseworkers are identifying and reaching out to households with major property damage throughout the County (including within the City limits) to advise them of the available financial support to assist with home repairs, rental assistance, food replacement, and other costs experienced due to the tornado event. Financial assistance available for individuals is estimated to be $1,000, though exact amounts would be determined by American Red Cross caseworkers. Assistance would include households both within City limits and the unincorporated area. On June 4th, the American Red Cross caseworkers will begin stationing at the County’s Fort Braden Community Center and Woodville Community Center to assist residents with applying for its Accelerated Assistance program, find additional community resources such as food pantries and housing, and create recovery plans. It is important to note that the TEAM Leon assistance does not interfere with the American Red Cross program.
Catastrophe Fund
On May 14, 2024, as the Board considered the establishment of a grant program to provide emergency assistance to individuals and businesses impacted by the May 10, 2024 tornadoes, the County Administrator provided an overview of the County’s Reserves Policy (Policy No 07-2), the purpose and intended uses of the Catastrophe (Cat) Fund, and the account balance at that time. Pursuant to Reserves Policy No. 07-2, the Cat Fund is maintained at 2% of general fund operating expenditures to provide immediate cash flow for staff overtime, equipment, contractual support and materials/supplies in the event of a natural disaster. These reserves are used to cover storm related costs prior to receiving any Federal or State reimbursements. The County Administrator shared that the Cat Fund balance was $3.5 million and reminded the Board that hurricane season begins June 1st.
Following the disbursement of $1 million in grants through the TEAM Leon Program, the balance of the Cat Fund is $2.5 million. However, preliminary expenses of $6.4 million have been identified thus far related to the response and recovery from the May 10th tornadoes. The following provides additional information on the estimated expenditures:
Pending any potential reimbursement from FEMA, the County will be responsible for all upfront costs related to the response and recovery from the tornadoes. Should FEMA approve a federal declaration, reimbursements may take up to 12 months so it will be necessary to allocate Fund Balance to increase the Cat Fund reserves to cover these upfront costs. Revised estimates related to debris removal and insurance deductibles will be provided to the Board at the July 9th meeting along with a budget amendment to appropriate additional funding for response and recovery expenses.
The Cat Fund was established to primarily cover storm related costs to the County and has not traditionally funded grant programs for severe weather such as the TEAM Leon Program. Unlike the May 10th tornadoes, hurricanes and tropical weather systems afford the community time for evacuation, preparation, and pre-staging of emergency response and recovery resources. The TEAM Leon Program was established to provide temporary and immediate financial assistance until extensive and more long-term federal aid becomes available in the community. It is not advisable or feasible for the County to provide grants to all residents affected by the tornadoes or to consider a similar program in response to future severe weather such as a hurricane which has the potential for greater countywide impacts. Only the federal government has the resources to provide direct financial assistance to entire communities impacted by a major disaster.
Conclusion
TEAM Leon was highly successful in serving as a bridge until federal aid becomes available in our community and to address unmet needs that other programs, including insurance, may not cover. As mentioned earlier, 472 individual households and businesses received financial assistance through the TEAM Leon Program; 419 of recipients were individual households; 53 of the recipients were small businesses located in unincorporated Leon County including restaurants, fitness centers, and hardware stores. Approximately 74% of funding was awarded to individual households and 26% was awarded to businesses.
Due to work conducted immediately following the storm in coordination with the City of Tallahassee and State to conduct damage assessments as well as actions taken by the Governor to declare a state of emergency and request for a federal disaster declaration, the Leon County community is well positioned for possible FEMA aid in the very near future. The declaration would provide Public Assistance, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, permanent work, and Hazard Mitigation for ten counties, along with Individual Assistance for Leon County. Additionally, through the County’s SHIP Disaster Recovery Program and the American Red Cross’ Immediate Assistance Program, residents impacted by the tornado event will continue to be supported with the needed resources to recover from the severe weather.
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