South Florida Congressional Members Asking FEMA To Broaden Scope Of Help
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Several Floridian members of congress are expressing concern over several counties excluded from FEMA's assistance list.
Reps. Ted Deutch, Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson, Lois Frankel and Brian Mast are all asking FEMA to broaden their scope of counties that require help following Hurricane Irma.
The collective Members of Congress released the following statement:
"When a hurricane stretches over 400 miles across the state, there is going to be devastation whether the eye crosses the county or not. Residents of Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, as well as residents of other counties not included on the list, have experienced severe wind and water damage to their homes and property. FEMA must add these counties to the Individual Assistance list to ensure that families can start addressing their needs today. In the days and weeks ahead, Floridians will need all of the support we can get to help rebuild."
Excluded from FEMA's individual assistant list were Broward County, Palm Beach County, Martin County and St. Lucie County.
On Monday, President Donald Trump's major disaster declaration included all 67 counties in the state of Florida on the list eligible for public assistance.
As for federal assistance to individuals and households, only nine counties were included as eligible.
FEMA determines which counties are eligible for individual assistance, based on hurricane forecasts.
Despite Broward, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie all forecasted to experience severe wind and water damage from Hurricane Irma, they were not included on FEMA's list.
