Gov. DeSantis talks Helene aftermath, reveals another storm casualty

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State officials are working to return Florida to normalcy after the storm.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is reviewing the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, which includes a second death from the storm overnight.

“There’s been another fatality recorded in Dixie County due to a tree falling on the home during the storm,” DeSantis said, announcing a death for the second straight news conference. On Thursday, he told reporters a motorist in Ybor City was killed by a falling sign.

DeSantis noted that storm surge was a problem far beyond Taylor County (which has been hit by three storms in 13 months) and the Big Bend, with “many parts of the West coast of Florida” getting worse impacts than they did during Idalia, including Tampa Bay.

The Governor promised recovery would start as soon as the storm was over, and on Friday, he said that’s what happened with search and rescue operations commencing “as soon as it was safe to do and even in many cases when it wasn’t safe to do.”

“We’ve had thousands of missions completed successfully in the overnight hours,” DeSantis said, describing the “rescue efforts” as collaborative between local and state officials, including at “1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m. … while many people around this country were sound asleep.”

“Those missions were successful, and those missions saved a lot of lives,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis noted that power “restoration efforts are underway,” saying Floridians can expect “to see progress on that today.”

At this writing, more than 1.12 million people lack power. DeSantis said that power has been restored for 1.16 million since the storm began.

Given the Category 4 winds, DeSantis anticipates that “probably some damage to substations” will require repair.

Meanwhile, roadways are being cleared, and 2,000 miles of blacktop are already being handled. Bridge inspections are ongoing. And airports like Tallahassee, Tampa, Lakeland, St. Petersburg, and Gainesville are “anticipated to resume operations at some time today.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


9 comments

  • MH/Duuuval

    September 27, 2024 at 10:00 am

    Dee, like Trick Scott, is unable to delegate authority, which is a mark of a good executive.

    • Billy Rotberg

      September 27, 2024 at 10:19 am

      Gillum and Christ lost!
      Get over it!

      • MH/Duuuval

        September 27, 2024 at 10:34 am

        You need to get over it: Gillum was brought down hard by white law enforcement, entrapped long before MAGA mites coined the phrase lawfare. A jury of his peers ultimately found Gillum NOT guilty.

        • "PROFESSOR" "E"

          September 27, 2024 at 11:16 am

          Good mornting Class,
          Let us take a moment to study the two above postings by the Dook 4 Brains Leftist, MH/Duuuval.
          Posts like MH/Duuuval’s are a the undisputed proof of the defective mind of the entire Dook 4 Brains Leftist Community.
          While these poor defective people are deserving of our pitty there is really no “Science” we can Trust at this time to cure their pittiful mental condition and assist them in re-joining polite scociety.
          FEAR NOT “PROFESSOR “E” HAS DEVELOPED A NEW EXCITING COMPASHIONET CURE:
          By changeing the voting “RATIO” for these pittiful wretches from 1 person: 1 vote my Sage Cure will place all registared “Democrats” at a much more appropriate “Ratio” of 1:1/4 of a vote.
          By reducing all Democrats to a voting “Ratio” in keeping with their mental abilities along with their contribution to society we will be able to “Blunt” the future influnce of these defective (thru no fault of their own) individuals. AI (artificial intellagence) postulates that most Democrats were at sometime dropped on their heads as a child.
          IN CLOSING:
          We are working on this 1:1/4 vote ratio for registared Democrats as a compashionent cure to “The Plauge of Dook 4 Brains Leftism” which if allowed to go un-checked will continue to ruin our Great Nation.
          Thank you class and a special tip of the hat to MH/Duuuval, for volunteering as our Test Subject,
          The Sage “PROFESSOR” “E”

        • Bobblehead Kammy

          September 27, 2024 at 8:19 pm

          White Law enforcement? What is that exactly? Did white law enforcement put male hookers and drugs in his Miami Beach Hotel room? Come on MH. He was a phony and got exposed. Admit it.

          • WHITE

            September 27, 2024 at 8:57 pm

            Don’t conflate what went on after the election with what went on before the election, Peachy.

            Gillum eventually cracked up after years of pressure from the investigation, which depended on entrapment carried off by a former best friend, a white man who made a deal with white agents.

            DJT too is getting wackier and wackier as his legal problems pile up. (Anything new on the $10 million bribe alleged to have gone to Trump from the Egyptian president?).

            As for phonies: You are the one frenetically jitterbugging around on this site with multiple taglines.

          • MHDuuuval

            September 27, 2024 at 9:07 pm

            “As of 2022, 5.2 percent of special agents working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States were Black.”

            FBI Jobs (.gov)
            https://fbijobs.gov › sites › default › files › Repo..

    • Be consistent Florida!

      September 27, 2024 at 10:54 am

      Follow protocol and the rest of the nation…. These displaced people need to have their voter registrations revoked because their address are no longer correct!

  • Dr. Franklin Waters

    September 27, 2024 at 9:57 pm

    Wonder what fake culture war bull$hit he’ll come up with this time to distract voters from the actual important issues this time when insurance rates double and triple again.

    Real issues are hard. It’s easier to fire up the dumbest members of our society with distractions like “woke” and drag queens instead.

Comments are closed.


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