FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis have asked the federal government for aid in the wake of historic flooding in Broward County.
DeSantis, who declared a state of emergency in Broward County due to the unprecedented flooding, on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for federal funding.
Wednesday evening, Trantalis was on a flight to Washington, D.C., where he will formally request assistance.
“The most urgent request is to try to get funding from [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], because that’s going to give folks here money to be able to bring their lives back together,” said Trantalis. “A lot of the folks in our communities, they’ve lost everything.”
The flooding affected almost 1,100 homes and caused more than $100 million in damage.
DeSantis sent his letter 13 days after the storm. He asked the president to issue a major disaster declaration.
Trantalis echoed the urgency in the governor’s letter.
“We plan to meet with White House officials in order to secure infrastructure money going forward,” he said. “As many of you know, one of the most important casualties that we suffered here in the city was City Hall.”
Fort Lauderdale City Hall has been declared a complete loss and remains closed as a result of the flooding. No one is allowed to go in and out of the building because it is unsafe.
Cellphone video captured the extent of the damage.
“This is the electrical panels. The mechanical systems, everything was completely inundated, underwater,” said a man in the video.
More than 26 inches of rain flooded much of Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It led to a two-day closure at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
In some areas, floodwaters were waist-deep, and according to DeSantis’ letter, “Hundreds of homes have been contaminated with raw sewage, further exacerbating recovery efforts.”
As of Friday, 2,350 national flood insurance claims have been filed from Broward. In addition, 227 businesses sustained damage, 57 businesses laid off people and Broward Health Medical Center also sustained significant water damage.
“The reality is, when we’re there in Washington, we’re going to FaceTime with the federal officials, and we hope we can bring back the solutions that we’re hoping to achieve,” said Trantalis.
City officials are currently looking for office space to help city workers.
Broward residents whose properties sustained damage due to the floods can apply for federal disaster assistance here.
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