It has been a little more than 48 hours since Hurricane Idalia made landfall, and Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed members of the press from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Tallahassee to provide an update on the state’s recovery efforts.
Joined by Florida Emergency Management (FEM) Director Kevin Guthrie, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez, and Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Shevaun Harris, Mr. DeSantis described the rapid progress recovery teams have made throughout the region to make sure residents have power, food, water, shelter and can send their kids back to school.
The governor said 476,000 power accounts have been restored, with 91,000 still left without electricity across the state.
Duke Energy reported that 95 percent of its customers across the state will have their power restored by tonight (Sept. 1), 95 percent of all Duke specifically in Taylor and Columbia Counties, will have their power restored by Sept. 2, and 95 percent of all customers in Madison and Hamilton Counties will be restored by the evening of Sept. 3.
Ms. Nunez reported that 58 out of Florida’s 67 county school districts are open, and the state expects that number to grow over the weekend. She also said that 10 out of 12 universities are open, as well as 26 out of 28 state colleges.
“We can’t forget that our children need to be back in the classroom, and the governor, as a young father himself, understands that returning to normalcy for Florida students is critically important,” she said.
“Our administration will be diligent to ensure that they have the resources that they need and supply schools with whatever supplies that they'll need in the coming days.”
Ms. Nunez will be visiting schools in Suwanee and Hamilton Counties, impacted by the storm, with Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr.
Nine distribution pods are now open for residents who are in need of food, water, ice, or tarpaulins, said Mr. DeSantis.
“Three pods are in Suwannee County, two pods in Hamilton County, one in Madison, one in Taylor, one in Lafayette, and one in Jefferson County.”
Mr. Guthrie reiterated that five of those nine pods were opened by noon on Aug. 31, 36 hours after landfall.
“More than 2100 vehicles visited these pods yesterday,” he said, “and received more than 48,000 liters of water and 73,700 MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat).”
Mr. Guthrie further emphasized Florida’s improved response time since Hurricane Ian.
“Yesterday we were at Horseshoe Beach, and there was a couple of people that were post-disaster homeless,” he said. “And I’m happy to announce that today we’re going to move five trailers in a Horseshoe Beach today.
Working With the Private Sector
Along with the efforts of Florida’s National Guard, Florida State Guard, and government agencies like the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Transportation, and other State Emergency Response Teams, Mr. DeSantis also emphasized the credit to the state’s ability to join forces with the private sector in this recovery effort.“All big-box stores in the area are open,” he said. Those stores include big shopping centers like Walmart, Publix, Winn Dixie, and Lowe’s.
The Walmart location in Perry will be setting up “a one-stop shop” for residents in need of not just food and supplies but also showers, laundry, and more.
“They will have things like mobile showers and restrooms. They’re going to be working with Verizon to bring charging stations to the local communities,” he said.
“And this will be helpful as some of these residents are weathering the power outages that I know people are working to remedy.
Private sector non-profits are also working hand-in-hand with the state to provide meal distribution, debris clearing, and more.
“We’re going to be working on setting up a base camp in Horseshoe Beach ... to provide housing and supply distribution sites for our valued nonprofit providers,” Mr. Guthrie said.
“These nonprofits are going to be going into assists with items like muck [removal of mud, silt] and gut [clearing of damaged home materials] and also clearing up properties—Mady’s Kitchens, Mercy Chef, Operation Barbecue, Relief, Catholic Charities World Central Kitchen, and more and more.”
Working with FEMA, Biden
After a visit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Deanne Criswell, the federal government approved a major disaster declaration for seven Florida counties.And Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Guthrie hope that more counties will be added to that list today, as one of the hardest-hit counties, Madison County, was left off the list despite recording a 100 percent power loss.
President Joe Biden is expected to visit Florida on Sept. 2.
When asked about the impending visit, Mr. DeSantis said that his primary concern is that the visit does not interrupt power restoration and other relief efforts.
“One thing that I did mention to him on the phone is where these communities, the hardest hit communities, it would be very disruptive to have the whole kind of security apparatus that goes because there are only so many ways to get into these places,” he said.
“I’m sure they'll be sensitive to that.”
What’s Left?
Along with the 91,000 homes still without power and the schools that remain closed, Mr. Guthrie said that search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing.“We’ve finalized operations in 15 counties and our continuing efforts in three counties. Madison, Suwannee, Lafayette,” he said. “As search and rescue comes to a close very soon, we are immediately shifting into recovery efforts to get communities back on their feet as quickly as possible.”
The governor also said that efforts are still underway to make the Florida Disaster Fund more accessible for those in need.
The DCF is establishing Family Resource Centers in Madison, Taylor, and Suwannee counties, and the Florida Department of Commerce is establishing a mobile center in Horseshoe Beach to open up the emergency bridge loan program, which Mr. DeSantis said is “to help businesses bridge the gap between the time a disaster hits and when other funding like insurance becomes available.”
“We know the devastating losses that individuals and families have experienced, and navigating the myriad of steps to rebuild can be overwhelming,” said Ms. Harris. “But we want you to know that you are not alone.”
