TAMPA (WFLA) — The extent of damage caused by Hurricane Irma and the need it created in Tampa is still not known.

The city isn’t wasting any time signing people up for federal help.

Staffers are assisting people who suffered storm damage to register their names with FEMA so that once federal money starts flowing to help with damages, they’re already in line.

“I never had to live like that, it’s rough,” said Beverly Dye.

Ms. Dye has been without electricity since late Saturday.

“It’s hard, you toss and turn, you don’t sleep at night, you just toss and turn and try to get comfortable, but you don’t get comfortable cause it’s so hot and sweaty,” she explained.

Beverly’s house is hardly a home these days.

“Only thing I do is get up in the morning, take a cold shower and get out of there, and come back late at night about 9 or 10 o’clock,” she said.

Beverly was at Tampa’s Jackson Heights Community Center, where city staff helped her fill out an application for FEMA disaster relief funds.

“I know I’m out at least a thousand dollars in food cause, I had just gone to the grocery store before the storm come up, and my freezer was full,” Ms. Dye stated.

“We’ve had a lot of people that didn’t have power, they lost food, they were unable to go back to work, they’ve got damage to their homes,” explained Tampa’s Director of Housing and Community Development Vanessa McCleary.

The city has four locations where storm victims can put in their names for federal assistance, in whatever form it may come.

  • Tampa Municipal Office Building 306 E. Jackson Street
  • Hunter Center at Al Lopez Park 4810 N. Himes Avenue
  • David M. Barksdale Center 1801 N. Lincoln Avenue
  • Jackson Heights Center 3310 E. Lake Avenue

City staff will be available at these locations 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the remainder of this week, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. next week.

“We just want to have people registered so as soon as the money starts to flow they’re in line,” added Ms. McCleary.

Beverly Dye hopes her electricity will start flowing again, so her daughter and grandchildren can come back home where they belong.

“And they want to come home,” she said. “When can we come home? When the power comes on. When that going to be? I don’t know.”

According to Vanessa McCleary, it is not at all complicated to register for FEMA relief money. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes if you are a renter, maybe 20 minutes if you are a homeowner.