Yesterday Broward County got a historic rainfall of over 20 inches and that’s led to a lot of flooding in the city of Ft. Lauderdale. It’s so rare that CBS says it’s a “1-in-1,000 year rainfall event.”
Here’s a recap from CBS:
- Between 16-20 inches of rainfall reported in Broward County
- National Weather Services reports 26 inches of rainfall at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
- More rain could fall in Broward
- Broward County under flash flood warning until noon
The mayor of Ft. Lauderdale said that no one could have planned for an event like this.
During his press conference, a reporter asked the mayor if he’d heard from Governor DeSantis and he said he hadn’t. He added that he’s not sure DeSantis needs to be involved, but thats not getting quoted anywhere. The mayor did say he’s been working with state agencies and they’ve been very helpful.
WATCH! I asked Fort Lauderdale Mayor @DeanTrantalis if he has spoken with Governor DeSantis after the unprecedented flooding in Fort Lauderdale. @BryanDGriffin says: “DEM is working with the localities to understand needs and provide aid.” pic.twitter.com/mJVAEYBvG1
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) April 13, 2023
This same reporter noted that DeSantis’ people have been reaching out to the city and, at the time, had yet to receive any requests for assistance from the city or county:
Deputy Press Secretary @JeremyRedfernFL says Director @KevinGuthrieFL has reached out:
“Director Guthrie has been proactively reaching out to the city and county on behalf of the DeSantis Administration.
We have yet to receive a request for assistance from Broward or Ft.…
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) April 13, 2023
The part that was cut off was this: “We have yet to receive a request for assistance from Broward or Ft. Lauderdale, but the state is still sending resources to assist Floridians.”
The city manager of Ft. Lauderdale affirms that Director Guthrie did contact him this morning and they are working the the process of getting much needed assistance to the city:
WATCH! I spoke with Fort Lauderdale City Manager Greg Chavarria about the process of getting State and Federal assistance for the victims of the unprecedented flood in Fort Lauderdale.
He told me @KevinGuthrieFL contacted him this morning and they are going through the process. pic.twitter.com/qj0WrzlQCH
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) April 13, 2023
DeSantis himself issued a statement earlier this morning as well, saying “FDEM has deployed staff to support local efforts including collecting damage assessment data in Broward County. The Florida Highway Patrol has increased staffing to coordinate coverage in response to the flooding and in anticipation of additional storms forecasted in the area.”
But none of this has stopped critics from lashing out at DeSantis, especially Don Jr:
Fort Lauderdale is under water and DeSantis is campaigning in Ohio right now instead of taking care of the people suffering in his state. https://t.co/zMzg1Va3uh
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 13, 2023
This is quite unfair. DeSantis just happened to be out of the state when Ft. Lauderdale got a historic amount of rainfall. No one expected or predicted it would be this bad. But DeSantis’ administration, i.e. ‘state agencies’, is working with the city and county to get the resources they need to deal with this crisis.
Don Jr. used to be someone I respected. But he’s clearly no longer objective since his father is running for president.