Over two weeks after historic flooding affected thousands of residents and businesses across Fort Lauderdale, the Biden administration approved a disaster declaration that will allow for federal funding to be distributed.
In a statement released Friday, the move allows funding to be made available for all affected individuals. Assistance includes, according to a news release, "grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster."
Federal funding will also be made available for state and local governments along with certain nonprofit groups. To apply call 1-800-621-FEMA or online atĀ DisasterAssistance.gov.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last Saturday a request for the declaration for Broward County due to the catastrophic impacts of unprecedented flooding over a week before.
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"Weāre very pleased that our efforts in Washington have brought this about. We want to also thank Congressman Jared Moskowitz, who made a very important phone call to FEMA to help accelerate this, " Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said during a Friday news conference. "The administration indicated that it might have taken another week or two and we cringed at hearing that, so weāre very pleased that our efforts in Washington have accelerated that process."
Heavy rainfall caused historic flooding that damaged countless homes and left residents reeling in the devastation, including a record 25.91 inches of rain that fell at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
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In response to the significant flooding, DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $5 million available for businesses impacted by the historic floods.
Businesses in Broward County, including sole proprietors, are eligible to apply.
DeSantis' request comes after Florida Democrats criticized his response time and claimed he went missing in action while people in Broward County suffered.
Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie requested Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) teams deploy to Broward County for in-person PDAs.
In addition to the extensive flooding, the National Weather Service in Miami confirmed areas of damage were consistent with two tornadoes in Broward County.
One tornado in Dania Beach produced metal siding and roof damage through a mobile home park, and the second tornado caused tree damage near West Hollywood.
Nearly a week later, crews were still removing water and trash from flooded Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods that were bombarded by historic rainfall.
