June 2023

Federal disaster aid tops $97 million

A month and a half have now passed since the flooding disaster struck Fort Lauderdale. Our community has proven to be resilient and is rebuilding with the help of our partners in the federal and state government, as well as from generous friends and neighbors. We owe a special shout-out to all the non-profit organizations that stepped forward, including the American Red Cross.

More than 5,500 households have received some form of federal assistance since President Biden issued a disaster declaration and a coordinated recovery effort launched. FEMA’s lead administrators on the ground tell me that they have paid out more than $97 million in aid.

That includes about $24 million in direct financial relief for home repairs, temporary rental assistance, lodging reimbursement and other needs such as replacing essential personal property that was destroyed. In addition, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than $61 million in claims to policyholders for flood damage and the Small Business Administration has made more than $12 million in disaster loans.

Shortly after the flooding, the city manager and I flew to Washington, D.C., to urge the administration to take quick action on a decision about federal assistance. The disaster declaration was expedited, with the president signing the executive order later that day.

More than 100 FEMA workers have been on the ground since. They have opened disaster relief centers and undertook a door-to-door effort to ensure everyone who needs help receives it.

The White House sent its senior adviser for infrastructure, Mitch Landrieu, to personally review the federal response to the unprecedented storms. He joined me in touring hard-hit neighborhoods and talked to residents whose lives have been so heavily impacted. As a former mayor of New Orleans, Mr. Landrieu is well aware of what it takes for a city to recover from a flooding disaster.

Remember that both homeowners and renters can qualify for federal assistance.

FEMA aid is targeted to uninsured losses and disaster-related expenses. This can include replacement of necessary personal property, such as furniture and appliances, repairs to make a home habitable, and uninsured or out-of-pocket medical, dental, childcare, moving and storage costs. Assistance for temporary housing is given out initially for one-month or two-month periods, but it can be reviewed for further assistance.

The Small Business Administration is offering long-term, low-interest loans not only to businesses but residents as well.

I urge anyone impacted by the disaster who hasn’t already applied for assistance to do so soon. The deadline for individuals to file for assistance is June 27.

You can go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362. The helpline is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. For in-person assistance, people may go to four locations:

• Hortt Park, 1700 SW 14th Ct. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Samuel Delevoe Park, 2520 NW 6th St. It’s open on Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
• Sadkin Community Center, 1176 NW 42 Way in Lauderhill. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
• The Northeast Parking Lot at the Big Easy Casino, 831 N. Federal Highway in Hallandale Beach. It's open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

I know some people have questions about decisions that FEMA has made regarding their claims. I’d urge you to go to one of the disaster centers for a one-on-one meeting. You can make sure your information is accurate and up to date at the same time. Please remember to be specific about your family’s needs that are directly related to damage caused by the disaster.

On a local level, the city is stepping forward to offer some relief as well.

The City Commission recently agreed to offer assistance to those who need to rebuild their homes. We directed the city manager to create a program that will lower the cost of construction work undertaken to repair storm-related damage. The city will either suspend requirements for building permits for such construction or at least waive the fees charged to obtain permits.

The city has done this before. We initiated such a program after Hurricane Irma struck in 2017. Many cities around the state also have waived building permit fees for reconstruction work following other disasters, including cities on the west coast last fall after Hurricane Ian.

I pressed hard for this relief because I think it's incumbent on the city to offer a helping hand to those who had major damage and now face an uncertain future as they rebuild their homes and their lives. To me, that’s part of what being a compassionate community is about.

On a closing note, city government had its own damage as a result of the April floods. City Hall is inoperable, and we have had to relocate all offices to temporary space.

When City Hall was built in the late 1960s, they placed all of the mechanical, electrical, fire control and air conditioning systems in a basement. It was also the location of our emergency generator and critical elevator and IT components. That basement was under 8 feet of water for days following the flood, with all of the essential equipment being destroyed in the process.

We have used massive emergency generators to keep the building on life support and ensure mold and other problems don’t arise while engineers evaluate the situation. Our staff estimates it would cost more than $15 million to repair the building, and that the work would take at least two years to complete.

That repair cost doesn’t include the price of temporary offices, the likelihood of asbestos remediation and the potential requirement to bring all systems up to current building code standards. Nor does it address the need to relocate critical systems from the basement in order to avoid a repeat of what occurred.

Before the storms hit, we had already begun evaluating the possibility of building a new City Hall. That was because there were basic but expensive renovations needed to keep pace with the city’s needs as well as to address significant age-related issues.

Now, the situation is more pressing.

Our staff is working with insurance adjusters and engineers on how best to proceed. The City Commission will likely make a decision in the next couple months whether to undertake the extensive repairs required or build a new headquarters.

It’s my belief that the current City Hall is too damaged to be salvaged and that we need to build a new facility. It’s a tough decision, but one that needs to be made.

Whichever direction we head, city operations will remain downtown. The commission re-affirmed that commitment this past week. We all know that a City Hall is a vital component of a vibrant downtown. Downtown is also the location where our operations are the most accessible to the public. 

Yours,

Dean