Pinellas County Offers Hurricane Preparedness Grants

Hurricane Irene appears to be bypassing Florida, bringing a sigh of relief to many beach residents. For those who wait for the last minute to rush out for supplies, Irene's near miss should remind everyone of the importance of early hurricane preparation.

It is important to remember that hurricane preparedness is more than just having extra water, batteries and candles. Your house should also ready to withstand a storm. Making sure your home is structurally strong enough to withstand even a moderate storm is necessary but can be expensive as well.

For those who live on the beach, especially lower-income inhabitants, getting their home ready for the next big storm may be financially demanding. For them, help is out there. Pinellas County is able to lend a hand with some of those preparations.  

Pinellas County offers financial assistance to low-income inhabitants, used to make essential home improvements in the event of a hurricane. The aid comes through a Hurricane Mitigation Grant. Eligible county residents can get up to $20,000 to prepare for storm season. The property must be a primary residence and cannot exceed $151,000 in value, as determined by the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office.

There are also income requirements for the hurricane grant. A single person must make less than $31,650, and for a family of four the amount is $45,200.

According to the Pinellas County website, qualified home repairs include:

• Reinforcement or replacement of roof systems
• Hurricane roof straps
• Impact-resistant windows
• Permanent hurricane shutters
• Wind-resistant garage doors and exterior doors
• Mobile home tie-downs and anchors (mobile homes built prior to 1976 are not eligible)

If a hurricane grant is not for you, there are other options available. Pinellas County also offers zero-interest loans to make necessary improvements. The same requirements in home value and income apply. The maximum loan amount is $20,000 and repayment is required within 20 years.

As experts always say, do not wait to prepare for a storm. The time to plan is now. The programs are available for residents of unincorporated Pinellas County and several beach communities. Funds are limited and are available beginning in August. More information about hurricaine grants, loans and storm readiness can be found by either visiting www.pinellascounty.org, calling Community Development at (727) 464-8210 or emailing cdprograms@pinellascounty.org.