Catastrophic September floods declared a federal disaster. What that means.

President Joe Biden has declared the mid-September storm that brought flooding and tornadoes to Rhode Island a federal disaster.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency made the announcement on Sunday that Biden made the disaster declaration for the storms from Sept. 10-13, 2023. Those included catastrophic and near fatal flooding at a Cranston apartment building and four tornadoes.

The declaration means federal disaster assistance will become available to those who were affected in Providence County. Federal assistance includes grants from FEMA for things like temporary housing and home repairs, as well as extremely low interest loans for renters and homeowners through the Small Business Administration.

Initial applications can be made at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

National Weather Service: Three tornadoes hit RI on Sept. 13, 2023. Here's what happened next.

How does a disaster get declared?

Before Biden could declare a major disaster, Gov. Dan McKee had to request the designation through FEMA's regional office, according to a FEMA fact sheet on the declaration process.

Once McKee made the request, federal and state officials did a preliminary damage assessment, which was then included in the request to the president showing how an effective response is "beyond the capabilities of the state and local governments," according to the fact sheet.

The "major disaster declaration," reserved for natural disasters, fires and explosions, gives residents and state and local government access to federal assistance programs, including the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by disaster and hazard mitigation measures.

How much damage did Sept. 10-13 storms cause?

Four tornadoes hit Southern New England on Sept. 13. Tornadoes touched down in Foster, Glocester and Lincoln. They were the result of severe thunderstorms. Trees were knocked over and a bus shelter in Glocester was blown away. In Lincoln, a tornado damaged a building roof and dislodged solar panels at a solar farm.

The tornadoes caused a fraction of the damage that flooding did to apartment complexes in the area, including one in Cranston where residents nearly drowned in their apartments.

They nearly drowned in their apartments: Now, residents of Dean Estates wonder where they'll go.

Flooding at the Dean Estates apartments on Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston happened so quickly that some tenants nearly drowned as the water rose. Ralph Amitrano Jr. had to be hauled out of his apartment by firefighters as he went from reclining on his chair to floating on it.

In 10 minutes' time, Amitrano's apartment went from a little water on the floor to being filled nearly to the ceiling with water; there was an an estimated 12 feet of water at the height of the flooding.

The entire building, with 24 units, was condemned as a risk, and an attorney representing the tenants said they could sue.

Flooding also hit businesses and apartments off of Branch Avenue, blowing out windows and destroying an entire store's worth of clothing at the retailer CitiTrends.

At the Wanskuck Mills, flooding destroyed first-floor apartments and all the possessions in them.

Sept. 11, 2023 rains floods businesses: Businesses destroyed by flooding at Branch Avenue shopping center

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Reporter Jack Perry contributed to this report. Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's September floods, tornadoes declared a federal disaster