The Florida Division of Emergency Management has announced a new initiative that is set to launch next year.
Elevate Florida will offer grants and low-interest loans to help homeowners protect their homes from flood damage.
WESH 2 News was in DeLand on Friday talking to neighbors who are still recovering two months after Milton hit.
"The neighborhood was underwater," David Swink, a DeLand resident, said. "This whole area here was flooded."
Homeowners left their flooded, unlivable homes.
"It's very devastating," Jamie Swink, another DeLand resident, said. "And this was real hard. And the biggest concern was for each other."
Two months later, many are still rebuilding, including Pam Teeter. She is now taking measures around her property to protect her house from the next storm.
"We had this berm built," Teeter said. "We have to put in pumps here and on the side of the house to pump the water out and hopefully, hopefully, that will help."
Teeter doesn't plan to leave her house. In order to do so safely, it may require living higher.
"I think that's going to be very expensive," Jamie said.
Homeowners do have an option to lift their homes, but that can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is why FDEM launched Elevate Florida, to make home lifting more accessible and affordable.
"FEMA wasn't really much help during this storm for us and others in this area," Teeter said. "So, to think that they would provide funds for us to do that would be awesome."
Elevate Florida is expected to launch in the new year.
Eligible projects include:
- Structure Elevation: Physically raising an existing structure to protect against flooding
- Mitigation Reconstruction: Construction of an improved, elevated building where an existing building has been partially or completely demolished or destroyed structure
- Acquisition: A local community purchases a structure from voluntary sellers and the structure is demolished
More information about the program's application and deadlines is coming soon, and residents with questions can also reach out to ResidentialMitigation@em.myflorida.com .