WASHINGTON – Fort Lauderdale’s mayor traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for disaster assistance amid the aftermath of the recent flood emergency.
Amid the ongoing recovering efforts, Mayor Dean Trantalis was at Capitol Hill on Thursday. He met with members of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Trantalis said one of his main concerns is speeding up the federal approval of a disaster declaration so that city officials are able to distribute aid to those in need.
“Our folks need that now, so I hope the city commission will agree with me that we need to start our program immediately,” Trantalis said.
Trantalis met with representatives of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to talk about investments in the city’s infrastructure.
The flood turned some city streets, including Broward Boulevard, into rivers that swallowed cars and invaded residential and commercial buildings.
Even City Hall, built in the 1960s, was damaged. The basement was under some 8 feet of water damaging the electrical panel and operating systems.
Trantalis said one of his goals and hopes is that the declaration will be approved and the city will be able to distribute $5,000 checks to residents who really need the help.