From Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis:
“Upon signing this emergency declaration, I spoke with Kevin Guthrie, the state Director of Emergency Management, who has pledged to allocate any available resources from his agency to assist in our recovery efforts. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will also be sending boats and buggies to our region.
Please refrain from traveling on the roads at this time and stay updated by monitoring the updates provided by the City of Fort Lauderdale.
From the press office of Governor Ron DeSantis:
~ Declaration includes 100% cost-reimbursement for debris removal and emergency protective measures for 30 days~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor DeSantis announced that President Biden has approved Florida’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Idalia, allowing for the reimbursement of debris removal and authorizing individual assistance for those impacted by the storm in seven counties: Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, and Taylor. Governor DeSantis originally requested the Major Disaster Declaration for 25 counties and additional counties may be approved in the coming days after the completion of ongoing damage assessments.
The Declaration makes federal funding available to governments and eligible nonprofit organizations in the affected areas for debris removal and emergency protective measures on a cost-sharing basis. Specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is authorized to cover 100 percent of eligible costs for a period of 30 days beginning at the state’s choosing. The Governor requested the Declaration immediately upon landfall of Hurricane Idalia to ensure that the State can quickly move forward into response and recovery. The letter with this request can be found here. For assistance, visit www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
Following the impact of Hurricane Idalia, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM)deployed hurricane recovery and mitigation experts into impacted counties to conduct rapid damage assessments. By conducting these damage assessments quickly and comprehensively, the Division was able to submit documentation to FEMA justifying the need for individual assistance in seven impacted counties. The Division continues to work closely with every county impacted by the storm to assess needs and begin the process of distributing recovery funding.
