BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday announced he will request a federal major disaster declaration for Broward County after a record 25.91 inches of rain 10 days ago in Fort Lauderdale.
If granted by the White House, a major disaster declaration will provide federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure damaged by the floods.
On Monday, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie requested preliminary damage assessment teams deploy to Broward County for in-person assessments.
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Joint state and federal teams have been in the field conducting damage assessments in impacted flood areas since Wednesday. In three days, teams have assessed more than 1,300 homes and identified more than 1,000 with major damages.
DeSantis earlier activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $5 million available for businesses impacted by flooding in Southeast Florida.
On April 13, less than 24 hours after flooding began, DeSantis issued Executive Order 23-65 declaring a state of emergency in Broward County. The state emergency response team continues to deploy state resources and assistance as requested, including 1 million gallons of fuel in response to fuel distribution delays.
