FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    John Wilson or David Saniter, Lee County Public Safety Division
                (941) 335-1600 or 477-3600

FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 5, 2001) – Lee County is one of four additional counties that have been added to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s list of disaster areas from Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The three other counties are Collier, Highlands and Putnam.

This makes the county eligible for some reimbursement of public expenses, but not private losses.

Representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA) conducted a separate assessment to determine if the county qualifies for low interest disaster loans to assist needy homeowners and businesses damaged by the tropical storm. However, the county did not met the damage requirements for private assistance (At least 25 homes (primary residences) and/or businesses in a county have uninsured losses of 40 percent or more of their estimated fair replacement value).

The county estimates Gabrielle caused more than $6.2 million of damage to private residences and businesses.

The FEMA disaster declaration permits Lee County to apply for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of expenses for such things as debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster and repairing or replacing damaged or destroyed public facilities.

Lee County estimates it spent up to $114,000 on road patching and debris removal, and that the Sep. 14 storm also caused another $1.6 million of damage to critically eroded beaches. One of the major reasons for the declaration was the damage to our beaches, and the county hopes it can receive federal assistance for their restoration.