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Click for a list of Hurricane Milton Recovery Resources. Residential Hurricane Milton Debris Hotline (833) 843-1920 active 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For details on Hurricane Milton debris pickup and dropoff or Hurricane Milton Debris Removal Dashboard.
Group of people providing recovery resources to a group in need.

As Polk County embarks on recovering from Hurricane Milton, Polk County Emergency Management is working to connect residents to resources. Below you will find the list of residential and commercial resources, as well as, others. Resources will be added as the come available.

Residential Recovery Resources

FEMA

The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is Dec. 11, 2024.

(800) 621-3362 (FEMA)
Download the FEMA mobile app or visit DisasterAssistance.gov
Use the checklist below to make sure you aren’t forgetting important steps in the application process.

  • File insurance claim
  • Apply for FEMA assistance
  • Schedule FEMA inspection
  • Read FEMA determination letter
  • Submit SBA loan application
  • Use FEMA grant properly
  • Save receipts and records
  • Stay in touch with FEMA

Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov and visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates for more recovery resources.

Disaster Recovery Center

FEMA has opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Polk County to provide one-on-one help to Floridians affected by Hurricane Milton.

Center location: W.H. Stuart Center, 1702 South Holland Parkway Bartow, FL 33830

Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday-Sunday

Hope Florida
Connects residents with resources for food, household losses and home repairs.
(833) 438-4673

American Red Cross 
Temporary shelter, mental health resources and recovery case management
(800) 733-2767

Operation Blue Roof
888-ROOF-BLU (888-766-3258)
blueroof.gov

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District has opened Operation Blue Roof through Thursday, Nov. 14. Residents impacted by Hurricane Milton can sign up for this no-cost service.

Replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
https://www.myflfamilies.com/milton

Emergency Assistance for Livestock and Animals

To request critical assistance for your livestock and animals in urgency need please access FORM

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)

The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) provides food assistance for individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton and who are not receiving food assistance through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, D-SNAP is implemented by the Florida Department of Children and Families (Department).

https://www.myflfamilies.com/DSNAP

Pre-Registration Dates: Sunday, Nov. 3 – Friday, Nov. 8

Telephonic Dates: Monday, Nov. 4, and Wednesday, Nov. 6 – Friday, Nov. 8

HOW DO I APPLY FOR D-SNAP?

  • Verification is required for certain elements of the application.
  • Eligibility can be determined more quickly and easily if a state driver’s license or identification number and a Social Security number is provided.
  • Residents who are unable to pre-register online can visit one of the D-SNAP event locations in-person when they are open.

When selecting the disaster on the pre-registration form, please select the most recent storm that impacted your household. After an applicant completes the pre-registration process above, the applicant must complete an interview by calling the D-SNAP Call Center or attending an on-site event at a later date.

  • Applicants may only call during designated dates and operating hours for their county.
  • Phone interview times are designated based on the first letter of the applicant’s last name. (See Step-by-Step Guide for details.)
  • D-SNAP Call Center: (888) 348-0408, Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., ET
  • Applicants must report the household’s net income received from Sept. 23, 2024 through Oct. 22, 2024
  • Applicants must report all liquid household assets that were available on Sept. 23, 2024, including cash on hand and money in checking and savings accounts.

Business Resources

Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program
FloridaJobs.org/EBL
(833) 832-4494
EmergencyBridgeLoan@Commerce.fl.gov

US Small Business Disaster Assistance
Physical Damage and Economic Injury Loans
sba.gov/hurricane-milton
(800) 659-2955
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov

Private Non-Profit Organizations
Low-Interest Disaster Loans
sba.gov/disaster
(800) 659-2955
disastercustomerservice@sba.gov


Additional Resources

Price Gouging
https://legacy.myfloridalegal.com/Contact.nsf/PriceGouging!OpenForm

Disaster Scams
https://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrelease/consumer-alert-attorney-general-moody-warns-floridians-about-disaster-related-scams

Florida Rural Legal Services
https://www.myfloridalegal.com/vicitm-services-providers/florida-rural-legal-services#:~:text=(888)%20532%2D3410,legalserver.org%20(online%20intake)

Florida Disaster Legal Aid Helpline
(833) 514-2940

Hurricane Milton Recovery Resources in Polk

genealogy text book sitting on green table in the second-floor genealogical library of the Polk County History Center

Marilyn Tucker’s journey into learning about her family history began in the 1990s when she received a message from a distant relative whom she had never met. The relative turned out to be the wife of a cousin of her own father. This person had sent Tucker a snapshot of a family book. A family book is a type of record that contains a family’s historical information, including marriages, children, birth dates and deaths.

black and white historical photo of family with man, woman, six daughters and four sons wearing mid-1890s clothing
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Tucker’s personal collection.

Seeing her own name in the book inspired Tucker to dig deeper. However, she was living in Albany, New York, and had no living grandparents she could ask about her family’s history. By searching public records and using tools such as microfilm libraries and family tree sites, Tucker was able to trace her genealogy back to Pierre Curie (1859-1906) who earned a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 with his wife, Marie Curie (1867-1934).

Tucker shared a family photo she found while researching her ancestors. The photograph is of the family of Jacob D. Curie, a distant cousin of Pierre Curie, and was taken in Wayne County, Ohio, in the mid-1890s. Emma Pearl Curie, daughter of Jacob Curie and great-grandmother of Tucker, can be seen standing behind with 10 of her siblings.

Tucker now volunteers at the Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library, lending the skills she learned while researching her own genealogy to patrons who visit the library with research questions.

“Who was Margaret?”

In September 2024, a Polk resident contacted the genealogical library. He had been researching his own family history but kept getting stuck on an individual name that would appear in records: “Margaret.” He called the genealogical library and asked for help. Marilyn Tucker was scheduled to work a volunteer shift at the History Center but did not want to drive during Tropical Storm Debbie, so she took the research question home to work on it.

“I love a puzzle, which is what genealogy is,” she said. “And luckily, my electricity stayed on so I could use my computer.”

She began her search with public records, which are the cornerstone of genealogical research. There are many online tools for searching public records, including www.AncestryLibrary.com and www.FamilySearch.org. Through the History Center, patrons have free access to both of these resources, as well as other genealogy sites. The sites work through “tree-mapping,” where users connect information and records they have discovered throughout their genealogical research to “link” family lines together.

After a little bit of research, Tucker was able to put together a file containing information about “Margaret,” whose full name turned out to be Margaret Deyo. This file included records about Deyo’s life, including the certificate of her first marriage in 1900 in Chicago and birth and baptism records for her daughters Bernice and Eleanor.

newspaper clipping from Florence Tribune, social section showing Clyde Deyo with family at theater at Brandeis
The Florence Tribune. Florence, Nebraska. March 3, 1911.

However, Tucker hit a snag when she tried to find information on Margaret Deyo’s second husband, Clyde Deyo Sr. That’s where newspapers came in. Social sections, obituaries and news stories can be “goldmines” of genealogical information, Tucker says.

The Polk County History Center has thousands of newspaper records, including the Lakeland Ledger, Bartow Courier Informant and Polk County Record, some dating back to before World War I. All these resources, including other digitized records, are available to Polk County residents who want to learn about their family history.

Tucker used these resources to locate a 1911 edition of The Florence Tribune, which placed Clyde Deyo at a theater party with his family. (Clyde and Margaret were not yet married at this time.)

Evening World Herald newspaper clipping showing Clyde D. Deyo and Margaret Deyo divorce decree
‘In Divorce Court,” Evening World Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. 1949.

Tucker was also able to locate a 1949 edition of the Evening World Herald announcing the divorce of Margaret and Clyde.

The search for Margaret Deyo ends at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lakeland, Florida, where she was buried in 1968. On the shelves of the second-floor genealogical and historical library of the Polk County History Center, the Imperial Polk Genealogical Society’s (IPGS) collection of cemetery records contains the name of nearly every marked grave in a Polk County, Florida, cemetery, spanning from the mid-1800s to the 1990s. If you want to research your ancestors who lived in Polk County, IPGS cemetery records may be the place to start.

National Family History Month

October is National Family History Month. This month was designated in 2001 by the U.S. Congress to “encourage family history research, education and the sharing of knowledge to renew the commitment to the concept of home and family.” (S. Res. 160)

“It’s like a parlor game,” Tucker says.

What is her advice for those wanting to begin digging into their family history? Start with the digital tools available at the Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library, she says.

While the genealogical library’s team cannot guarantee you any genealogical ties to scientific pioneers or Nobel Prize winners, Tucker emphasizes the friendliness of the History Center staff and their willingness to help patrons answer research questions.

Imperial Polk Genealogical Society cemetery record showing Margaret Deyo listing
Polk County, Florida Cemeteries. Imperial Polk Genealogical Society, Lakeland, Florida. 2013. Page 371.

In addition to access to digital and printed resources, the Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library offers the Genealogy Speaker Series. This series of one-hour webinars takes place on the first of the month, from January to October. Speakers are typically certified in genealogical research and have expert knowledge on a wide variety of topics. Attendees learn about different types of genealogical records, how to glean information from them, how to source them and how to confront common challenges in family research. Attendance to Genealogy Speaker Series program is free. To be added to the distribution list for webinar information, please contact the History Center at (863) 534-4386. You can also register for the History Center’s monthly newsletter here.

Is it worth learning about your family history? Tucker thinks so. The Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library’s resources are available at no cost to Polk County residents.

Reflecting on her experience volunteering at the History Center, Tucker says, “The best part about this is that I never know what’s going to hit me when I walk through the door.”

Polk Resident Traces Genealogy Back to Nobel Prize Winner

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