Floridians barely making ends meet, left with no housing and very few options in the aftermath of hurricane Ian

In the wake of hurricane Ian, Floridians who lost their homes find themselves in a housing predicament. Much like what we saw with hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the state population faced with the toughest road to rebuild, are folks who were already struggling. University of Florida's Shimberg Center for Housing studies reports that 2.24 million households in Florida have incomes below $50,000, and pay more than 30 percent of their income to rent or mortgage. This is more than a quarter of total households.

In counties that were under evacuation orders, less than 20 percent of homes have coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Florida Taxwatch, a nonprofit research institute reports that rental prices have increased by more than 30% in the past two years. Across the state, the median rent increased from around $1,340 in February 2020 to about $1,760 of the same month in 2022. Southwest Florida, which is an area with a lot of rural farming communities was hit the hardest. A lot of retirees have moved to that area, attracted by the lack of taxes, and the warm sunny weather year round.

Lee county, which was really hit hard, grew 27 percent between 2020 and 2021. There was already a growing chasm between housing costs and what people could afford.

Trailer parks and mobile homes were absolutely ravaged. Even for folks with insurance on their mobile homes, most did not have flood insurance.

The rent price hike, and influx of new state residents throughout the pandemic has created a bad situation for all the low-income people who lost their homes. President Biden has approved federal disaster and recovery funds for counties affected by the storm. But as we saw in New Orleans the proper allocation, and speed and efficiency with which it reaches those in need is likely problematic. Tons of interviews are surfacing where people are quoted as saying they have no choice but to remain in badly damaged homes. For many people, the storm means their jobs are gone, there is no income, no safe housing, limited access to food.

We’ve got to remember California, we are not safe from natural disaster. We could wake up post Earthquake and find ourselves in a situation not far from where Floridians see themselves today. Check what type of natural disaster your homeowners insurance covers.

Donate if you can to agencies taking relief action in Florida, right now, people need help.