TALLAHASSEE - In an effort to expedite the recovery process for businesses damaged by recent severe weather and tornado activity in the Florida Panhandle, the State Emergency Response Team has activated the Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center.  The program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), will survey businesses affected by the severe weather events and share the results with various state and local agencies to implement appropriate disaster relief programs.

DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and businesses affected by the tragic weather events this week. Florida communities are resilient and strong, and DEO is committed to helping businesses in this area recover quickly from the damage. I encourage any business affected by the storms to use our resources and share their recovery needs in the Business Damage Assessment survey.”

Affected businesses should complete a Business Damage Assessment survey that will be used to determine which emergency support programs might be beneficial to aid recovery efforts in the area. Local and state officials will use this information to quickly provide any needed assistance programs.

The survey can be obtained at http://flvbeoc.org/index.php?action=bda by selecting the “2016 February Severe Weather” event.

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