While Florida Panhandle residents apply for FEMA aid, UF students can apply for Aid-a-Gator. UF students, faculty and staff can apply for up to $1,500 in emergency financial aid in light of the effects of Hurricane Michael through UF’s Aid-a-Gator program, Zack O’Neill, the UF assistant director of state programs, scholarships and student employment.
“It’s most important that they’re aware the option exists,” O’Neill said. “It’s an important avenue to take that will not put them in a dangerous financial need.”
The Student Financial Affairs office has received 10 applications and awarded a total of $6,000 to six students, Margot Winick, a UF spokesperson, wrote in an email.
The program began last year days after Hurricane Irma hit North Central Florida. Last Fall, 438 students applied and received a total of $209,739 from the program, Winick said.
To apply, students must demonstrate financial need, provide documentation and fill out an online application. There is no designated time frame and faculty and staff, including graduate students, can also apply, O’Neill said.
Anthony Le, a 21-year-old UF nursing senior, was born and raised in Panama City, an area severely impacted by Hurricane Michael. Le said he has friends who lost their homes and their cars.
“It’s really good that they’re very mindful of the students,” he said. “I know some people might not have the financial means to support themselves without their parents.”
Contact Alyssa Ramos at aramos@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @LysKRamos
Pilot Mark Creighton, of Port Aransas, Texas, loads nonperishable food onto a plane headed to Appalachia, Florida, for Operation Airdrop. His home flooded during Hurricane Harvey, and he’s helped other victims of hurricanes through Operation Airdrop since.
