Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said Florida is prepared to deal with Hurricane Milton and its aftermath, as almost 40,000 utility linemen are either in the state or on their way to help.
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm as of Tuesday morning and is set to make landfall in Florida as early as Wednesday evening. DeSantis noted that his state is one of several that just had to deal with Hurricane Helene, expressing thanks that the state has made “a big dent” in its cleanup efforts on Helene’s debris.
“We also have now close to 40,000 utility linemen in the state of Florida or en route,” DeSantis said on Fox News’s Fox and Friends. “And remember, there’s a lot of these workers that are still in Georgia and North Carolina and those places. We’ve had to bring them in all the way from California, so they’re going to be ready to do the power restoration mission, and then we’ll have 8,000 Florida National Guard when the storm hits. All our urban search and rescue, our Florida State Guard, fish and wildlife, all that will be there, ready to go. So we’re prepared for this.”
DeSantis also clarified that Florida residents “still have time” to take shelter from Milton and that they do not even need to get on the highway to do so. He explained that there are shelters “all throughout the state” and that people have options on where they can go.
For families and residents with pets, DeSantis assured that pet-friendly shelters are also available in the state. Florida officials are also working with Uber to drive citizens to shelters for those without a car.
The governor also addressed a problem that some Florida gas stations are having ahead of Milton and explained that it is a “distribution issue” rather than a supply problem. He assured that the state has stocked spare fuel ahead of the storm and that it will continue to be distributed before Milton makes landfall.
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As of this morning, Hurricane Milton is still a major Category 4 hurricane. While some weakening is possible before landfall, we expect Milton to be a strong and extremely dangerous storm when it reaches the west Florida tomorrow night or early Thursday morning.
Heed all… pic.twitter.com/80Mch7NPvL
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 8, 2024
On X, DeSantis stressed Florida residents to “heed all warnings” from local emergency management officials. He also reiterated that anyone in Hurricane Milton’s projected path should get to a safe location as soon as possible.
Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, @POTUS is postponing his trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) October 8, 2024
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that President Joe Biden has postponed a planned trip to Germany and Angola so he can oversee the preparations and response to Milton. That decision comes after Biden faced criticism for being away during Hurricane Helene.