Last night, Congressman Jimmy Patronis posted on X that President Donald Trump had finally signed the Major Disaster Declaration
- “President Donald J. Trump granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Florida, triggering the release of federal funds to help communities recover from Hurricane Isaias.”
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves posted on his Facebook: “FEMA disaster declaration complete. Thank you to President Trump, Senator Rick Scott, Congressman Byron Donalds, Congressman Jimmy Patronis, Governor Ron DeSantis and Sen. Ashley Moody advocating for our area to get us back to normal. Time to get to work!”
- The announcement came nearly three weeks after Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on Oct. 9, 2026, as a Category 2 storm, and seven hours after I posted about how slow the White House has been acting on signing off on the declaration.
Missing from Declaration
However, the declaration only covers Public Assistance, which will reimburse counties and cities for emergency repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
- The Individual Assistance, which assists individuals and households, is still under review. Also under review is Hazard Mitigation—Assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.
The declaration states: “Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.”
