FEMA officials announced Friday that the agency and the state of Florida have activated the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program in 19 counties.

According to information from FEMA, storm survivors who have applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to shelter in a hotel or motel paid for by the government.

Victims of Hurricane Ian "may be eligible for TSA if they cannot return to their home and their housing needs cannot be met by insurance, shelters or rental assistance provided by FEMA or another agency (federal, state or nonprofit)," FEMA said in a release.

Federal officials said storm survivors will be automatically notified if they are eligible for the program.

"Survivors will be notified of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message and/or email, depending upon the method of communication they selected when they applied for assistance," the release said. "Under the TSA program, FEMA pays the cost of room, taxes and non-refundable pet fees directly to participating hotels and motels. Survivors are responsible for all other costs, including laundry, room service, parking, telephone, food, transportation and other services."

FEMA officials said eligibility will be determined on an individual basis, and when participants are no longer eligible, they will be notified a week before having to check out of the hotel or motel where they are staying.

The program is limited to participating hotels and motels in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. 

TSA assistance does not count toward an applicant's maximum amout of assistance available under teh Individuals and Households Program, the FEMA release said.

Survivors can apply for FEMA assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362, or using the FEMA mobile app. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, should give FEMA the number for that service.

Storm survivors in the following counties are eligible for the TSA program:

  • Charlotte
  • Collier
  • DeSoto
  • Flagler
  • Hardee
  • Highlands
  • Hillsborough
  • Lake
  • Lee
  • Manatee
  • Orange
  • Osceola
  • Pinellas
  • Polk
  • Putman
  • Sarasota
  • Seminole
  • St. Johns
  • Volusia