To register for federal disaster assistance, residents are urged to call the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech and hearing impaired.

Please note that victims must apply for assistance within 60 days of the declared disaster. For victims of Hurricane Charley, the deadline is Oct. 12 and for Hurricane Frances, the deadline is Nov. 2.

FEMA also has opened sixteen Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in the wake of Hurricane Frances to help Floridians recover from damage inflicted by Charley and Frances. Representatives of local, state and federal agencies will be on hand to help you apply for assistance. Click here for a listing of the recovery centers.

FEMA also has a helpful website with information about assistance for victims of both storms. FEMA has posted on its website the following booklet to guide you through the application process:

Help After a Disaster, Applicant’s Guide to the Individuals & Households Program

I've posted a list of phone numbers on my website covering many topics, including emergency contact numbers by county and information on where to report price gouging or find out if a contractor is licensed.

You also can go to http://www.myflorida.com/ for information on road closures, evacuations and local shelters.

The Red Cross also is on the ground and can assist with food, shelter, medical care, and missing persons. Their phone number is 1-866-GET-INFO (for information) and 1-800-GIVE-NOW (for donations). Click here to visit their website.

Another helpful resource is Visit Florida, the state's official travel planning web site. For information on hotel vacancies, call their toll-free number at 1-800-287-8598. Their website also has information on road conditions, evacuation routes, and shelters.


Traffic jams

As residents evacuate Florida, you can find information on the Florida Department of Transportation website that compares historical traffic flow to what’s happening now.

While the site is mainly for emergency response personnel, it may also be helpful to motorists.

Many farmers have been completely devastated by the last two hurricanes. We know that some have lost their entire crop. Recent estimates from Hurricanes Charley and Frances indicate Florida's agriculture industry suffered more than $2 billion in losses. While there are several programs now available for farmers seeking immediate help, it's clear the federal government will need to act further to assist our agriculture industry. In the coming weeks, I'll be seeking additional funds to provide grants to farmers who sustained losses.

Currently, the assistance available for agriculture disaster includes Emergency Loans, Noninsured Crop Insurance Loans, the Emergency Conservation Program and Tree Assistance Program. To apply for these loans, farmers should visit the USDA website.

Low-interest emergency loans are available in all counties declared disasters. Qualifying farmers in these counties can apply for emergency loans to help recover from production losses and physical losses to their property. The loans may be used to restore or replace property, pay production and living expenses, reorganize the farming operation and refinance certain debts. Farmers should apply for these loans at their local Farm Service Agency county offices.

For more information on emergency loans, contact the FSA state office at (352) 379-4500 or use the FSA website to find local contact information.

Thousands of hurricane victims already have been overcharged by unscrupulous vendors selling consumer products or services, such as ice, bottled water, gasoline, tree removal, or hotel rooms. Florida has a law that prohibits price gouging after a disaster. The State Attorney General, who enforces this law, is actively monitoring this disturbing practice. Its hotline already has received more than 4,000 complaints from hurricane victims.

If you want to report price gouging to the state Attorney General, call toll-free at 800-646-0444. You can also use the Attorney General's web page to report price gouging.

In the meantime, hurricane victims should take the following steps to help protect themselves from unscrupulous contractors or businesses, including:

Click here if you want to subscribe to Bill’s e-mail updates on other issues.

If this message reached you in error, or if you don’t want to receive additional e-mails from Bill, please click here to unsubscribe by entering your name and e-mail address.

If you would like to make a comment regarding this or any other issue, please contact Bill by clicking here.

Sen. Nelson's Washington office is located in Room 716 of the Hart building. He also has offices in Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.