Residents of eight Florida counties are now able to apply for disaster assistance through FEMA. President Obama signed a disaster declaration Wednesday for areas in Florida affected by Hurricane Hermine.

  • Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Citrus, Hernando among affected areas
  • Application for FEMA assistance opened Thursday
  • Residents can obtain up to $33,000 for damaged home

Five of those eight counties -- Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas -- are in the Tampa Bay area.

The good news could not come soon enough for Pasco residents like Tisha Howell. Howell, along with several other displaced families, has been living at a Days Inn location since Hermine swept through. Howell received the news Wednesday night.

“It was just very like a joyous occasion, it really was," said Howell.

RELATED: President Obama signs Florida disaster declaration after Hurricane Hermine

Howell’s Hudson home was destroyed during the storm. The group Operation Pasco County has been helping her rebuild, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“It feels really good to know that there is going to be help, and that we’re not just stuck out here on our own, because that's how we are feeling," said Howell.

The application process for FEMA assistance opened Thursday. FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at disasterassistance.gov. Applications can also be completed over the phone by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.

The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

The most a resident can get for a damaged home is $33,000. However, the average pay out in Florida for FEMA disaster assistance is $6,000.

“I'm actually very relieved," said resident Amy Murray, whose Bass Lake home flooded twice due to the storm, causing approximately $15,000 in damages. "The home owner amount is not great, but I mean, hey, whatever they're willing to put out and help with us this year would be great."

Within the next couple of weeks, a disaster recovery center will open where FEMA, state, and local officials will be available for residents to make their case. It is important to know this will be a processing location only -- residents will not receive immediate monetary assistance.

For residents like Murray, anything to help make life "normal" again is worth hoping for.

“Something to put us back in the motion of living again," said Murray, "because right now we haven't been able to live correctly for the last year."