On November 10, Hurricane Nicole made landfall south of Vero Beach, Florida as a Category 1 storm. Over its course, it tragically killed five in the state and caused widespread damage. The hurricane hit just weeks after Floridians began the long recovery process following Hurricane Ian.
This week, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., sent a letter to President Joe Biden in support of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request to declare a major disaster.
The letter is below.
Dear Mr. President:
We write in support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s request for a major disaster declaration, beginning on November 7, 2022, due to Hurricane Nicole, which hit Florida as a Category 1 storm south of Vero Beach. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, leaving thousands of Floridians suffering from storm surge, beach erosion, and widespread property damage. In addition to killing five of our constituents, Hurricane Nicole has posed an extraordinary challenge to countless communities already struggling in Hurricane Ian’s wake. As such, we request that you promptly approve Governor DeSantis’ request for Individual Assistance for Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties; Public Assistance for Brevard, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Martin, Nassau, Palm Beach, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia Counties; Hazard Mitigation statewide; and a designation for areas for emergency protection measures (Category B), including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program for FEMA-3587-EM.
Ensuring that the state has access to the federal resources it needs is imperative to protecting Floridians, their property, and their communities. As such, we urge you to approve the State of Florida’s request for a major disaster declaration to unlock the federal assistance necessary to ensure the safety of our state.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
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