Plus, another condo building evacuation
Florida asks for a federal disaster declaration for the Ft. Lauderdale flooding, another condominium building deemed structurally unsafe is ordered evacuated, and a sneak peek at the forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. It’s all in this week’s Disaster Management Digest.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management took to social media to solicit photos like this of Ft. Lauderdale area flooding as part of its damage survey, April 20, 2023. Source: Twitter
Ft. Lauderdale Flooding: The Governor’s office over the weekend announced that he will be requesting President Biden issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County due to the catastrophic impacts of the unprecedented April 12-13 flooding. Such a declaration would provide a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure damaged by the floods. State disaster management and FEMA teams last week did field damage assessments, identifying more than 1,000 homes with major flood damage but that doesn’t include results from additional this past weekend’s surveys. The Governor has also activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $5 million available for businesses impacted by flooding in Southeast Florida. Nearly 26 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period in parts of Ft. Lauderdale, making it a 1-in-1,000 year flood event.
Only about 200,000 of the county’s 2 million residents have flood insurance. Automobiles were also casualties of the flood, with thousands of auto claims filed so far. The Insurance Information Institute said that 80% of Florida drivers have comprehensive coverage which covers flooding.
The Majestic Isle Condominium. Source: Google Earth
Building Evacuation: An engineering firm doing a 60-year building recertification has found a South Florida condominium building structurally unsafe and residents have until tomorrow morning to evacuate. An April 14 inspection at the Majestic Isle condominium in North Bay Village found sagging floors and termite damage. A leaking roof drain caused a partial ceiling collapse last week and residents from five units were evacuated, according to the town’s news release. Majestic Isle was built in 1960 and has 36 units with about 55 residents. It’s just up the road from the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, which collapsed in June of 2021, killing 98 residents.
Hurricane Season Forecast: Following years of predicting above-normal hurricane seasons, meteorologists at Colorado State University are predicting a slightly below-average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. But we know that it only takes one storm to have a huge impact, regardless of whether it turns out to be a very active season. Last September’s Hurricane Ian was the costliest in Florida history. The meteorologists are predicting 13 named storms, six of which will become hurricanes, with two reaching major hurricane strength (Category 3 – winds of 111 mph or higher).
LMA Newsletter of 4-24-23
