FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Recovery teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were on the ground in Fort Lauderdale Monday morning, after President Joe Biden approved a federal disaster declaration for Broward County.
“Assistance can include 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,” a White House news release following the declaration stated.
FEMA representatives went door-to-door in Fort Lauderdale’s hard-hit Edgewood and Melrose Park neighborhoods, along with other areas affected by the flooding, helping residents navigate the assistance process.
“FEMA may be able to provide money directly to survivors for basic home repairs, temporary rental assistance if they need to relocate, and other needs like replacing personal property that was destroyed in the flooding or storms,” agency spokesperson John Mills said.
Edgewood is home to residents like Ramses Del Valle, who were still cleaning up from the storm.
“I am displaced, I have nothing but the clothes I have,” he said. “We had to ask for handouts for school uniforms.”
Resident Tom Livingston was among those with questions for federal officials. He applied for aid online.
“I’m not expecting enough money to pay for everything, but it is going to help,” Livingston said. “Something is better than nothing.”
Besides help from FEMA, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $1.5 million in awards to help flood recovery efforts in South Florida.
The awards come from the Florida Disaster Fund.
Recipients included Team Rubicon, The Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Feeding South Florida and The Broward Long Term Recovery Group.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the storm can visit FEMA’s disaster assistance website or call 800-621-3362.
Additionally, The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity activated its private sector hotline at 850-815-4925 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to assist businesses in storm recovery.
Business owners can also visit the agency’s website.
The federal Small Business administration also made low-interest disaster loans available for business owners affected by the storm. Affected business owners were asked to visit the SBA’s website and apply under declaration #17901.
The DEO also announced that disaster unemployment assistance would be made available to people “whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the flooding.”
More information on who qualifies is available on the state’s website or by calling 800-385-3920.
The IRS is also extending the tax filing deadline for those in the disaster area to Aug. 15.
“The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies filing and payment relief,” a news release states. “If an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date that falls within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the telephone number on the notice to have the IRS abate the penalty.”