BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A week after historic flooding inundated parts of Brevard County, residents are still cleaning up, sorting through damaged belongings and trying to figure out how to replace what they’ve lost.
For West Melbourne resident Rachel Grossman, the flooding meant losing her vehicle.
She says some of her neighbors lost far more. Grossman told us, “We were about waist-deep. We lost our own vehicle. Many, many homes have lost everything. I helped a few families evacuate during the flood. It was very bad here. We need as much help as possible on this one.”
As residents work to recover, Florida is seeking federal assistance. Gov. Ron DeSantis has submitted a Major Disaster Declaration request to secure federal assistance for communities impacted by recent flooding across Central and South Florida.
And Congressman Mike Haridopolos said he has been in contact with local leaders and the governor to help move the process forward.
He said, “I’ve been on the phone personally with Mayor Young out of West Melbourne, Mayor Medina out of Palm Bay, Jim Lisenfeld, who’s the county manager at Brevard, of course, talking with the governor as well. The governor has been on the ball. We wanted to make sure we did everything by the book, so we can draw down those resources.”
Haridopolos said the request now rests with President Donald Trump.
He said he personally raised the issue with the president during his visit to Kennedy Space Center last Friday. The declaration request covers communities impacted by flooding across Central and South Florida.
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