FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Volunteer groups were hard at work Thursday in Broward County where torrential rains flooded hundreds of homes near Ft. Lauderdale.
Local 10 News spoke with Marie Verheek, a Fort Lauderdale resident of 7 years, who like many in the Edgewood area, had to be rescued from the flood.
Verheek returned to find her walls, floors and furniture in her home ruined but said she is grateful to still be alive.
“Knowing that you’ve just lost everything--we still have our lives,” she said.
Verheek said she didn’t know where to start first until volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse stepped in to help.
Samaritans Purse, a Christian ministry group deployed from North Carolina, got together with local churches and brought truckloads of equipment and manpower to match.
Local 10 News met with members of the community to establish a game plan and rally local volunteers to help the flood victims.
Crews were seen going from house to house and have helped clean up the areas throughout Broward County ever since.
“We help the homeowners remove their personal items. We help them take out flooring (and) drywall,” said Aaron Richards, program manager for U.S. Disaster Relief for Samaritan’s Purse. “We get it to a point where it’s contractor ready.”
Samaritans Purse has helped communities like Melrose Park and Edgewood in Fort Lauderdale after being hit by the historic flood.
It’s a difficult process for a city and residents who just need to see some progress to take the next big step.
The city of Fort Lauderdale said they’re bringing on a new company to help with all the bulk pickup, but that work is expected to take 4-6 weeks.
The city is unveiling a debris removal tracker in the meantime to coordinate local efforts as FEMA officials continue to assess the damage and gather data.
For volunteering information, please read the flyer below or call 561-873-1718
For more information on Samaritan’s Purse and its mission, click here.