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Employee Emergency Information

Post-Hurricane Support

Housing Assistance

  • Call 2-1-1 to learn about free temporary housing through Airbnb and to fill out an application. If you need assistance, contact AskHR@pinellas.gov.
  • FEMA assistance is available to Pinellas County residents who experienced damages/losses due to Hurricane Helene and/or Hurricane Milton. FEMA may be able to help homeowners and renters with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs. Eligible residents can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, using the FEMA app or by phone at (800) 621-FEMA (3362).
    • Homeowners and renters who sustained damages or losses from Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton can apply for FEMA Individual Assistance. If you applied to FEMA after Hurricane Helene and have additional damage from Hurricane Milton, you will need to apply separately for Hurricane Milton and provide the dates of your most recent damage. 
  • If you have been displaced due to hurricanes Milton or Helene, visit pinellas.gov/HurricaneHousing for a list of resources to help you search for short- and long-term housing options.

Disaster Recovery Center

  • A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Florida Botanical Gardens, Magnolia Room, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo.
    • DRCs serve as centralized locations where people can access various services and information related to disaster recovery, including help with applying for federal disaster assistance programs.

Mental Health Resources

  • The Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7 toll-free, multilingual disaster crisis counseling for anyone experiencing emotional distress related to disasters. Call or text (800) 985-5990.
  • The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available 24/7 at (800) 862-3557, option 4, to help you and your family.
  • Our onsite counselor Lorelei Keif is here to assist you, starting Thursday, October 17. Contact her at Lkeif2@gmail.com or (727) 464-4555, option 4.

Other Resources

  • Report damage to your home on the Resident Damage Reporting Tool. This helps secure federal relief aid for the community.
  • Homeowners insurance claims: Take extensive photos of interior and exterior damage before cleaning or removing damaged building materials. Save samples of damaged personal property that you may include in a claim.
  • Crisis Cleanup has activated the Hurricane Helene Cleanup Hotline: (844) 965-1386. This is for people who need help cleaning up damage from Hurricane Helene and connects people with volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups and faith communities who may be able assist with jobs such as muck-outs (cleaning up), trees, tarp, and debris. All services are free, but service is not guaranteed.
  • The County Information Center (CIC) is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for storm questions. Call (727) 464-4333. Residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the CIC via online chat at bit.ly/PinellasChat.
  • Sign up for Alert Pinellas to receive timely notifications via text, email, or phone call.

Benefits Disaster-Related Resources

  • Employee Assistance Program
    • Cigna’s Employee Assistance Program is available at no cost for all employees and their eligible dependents. Employees and their eligible dependents do not need to be on the County’s medical plan.
      • Help is available 24/7 at (800) 862-3557, option 4.
    • Additionally, disaster-related resources can be found at Cigna’s Disaster Resource Center. Topics include crisis assistance, counseling services, critical incident stress management, and general public support information.
  • Legal (ARAG)
  • Prescription (Express Scripts)
    • For our employees and their family members who have suffered hardship from Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, we have enacted an Emergency Refill Override/s for the next 30 days through our prescription vendor, Express Scripts. This will enable our employees to access their medications if they are lost or damaged.
      • If a pharmacy has any questions or concerns regarding an emergency fill, they can call the ESI Pharmacy Helpdesk at (800) 922-1557.
    • Below are details on how your pharmacy can process a “Refill Too Soon (RTS)” override:
      • If a patient from the disaster area attempts to fill a prescription for lost or damaged medication and the claim rejects with a Reject 79 “Refill Too Soon”, the Pharmacy should enter Submission Clarification Code “13” in NCPDP vD.0 field 420-DK “Submission Clarification Code”.
  • Vision (EyeMed)
    • Our vision provider, EyeMed, has a disaster resource plan in place where members can call and get expedited temporary glasses or replacement of contact lenses shipped free and at no cost to employees and covered dependents enrolled on the plan. 
    • Additionally, employees who are not enrolled in our vision program can also access immediate financial assistance for eyewear replacement through One Sight, a non-profit organization that offers eye care solutions to those in need.

10/17/24