DeSantis Calls for Florida to Prepare for Potentially Devastating Hurricane
The governor expressed hope for a decline, stating, "Let's pray that we get a weakening."
TroibNews 
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concerns about Hurricane Milton, predicting it will inflict considerable damage across the Florida Peninsula and urging residents to prepare for the worst.
Milton intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday, boasting winds of 175 mph while moving slowly towards Florida from the western Gulf of Mexico. However, by Tuesday morning, it had downgraded to a Category 4 storm, which remains extremely powerful. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center believe that last-minute changes in wind speeds near the coast might result in further weakening before landfall. Nonetheless, DeSantis noted that a less powerful storm still poses a threat of hurricane-force winds as it heads towards Orlando and the Atlantic coast.
During a morning briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center, DeSantis pointed out that meteorologists did not expect Milton's rapid escalation from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane. He emphasized that there's no certainty the storm will weaken as anticipated.
“Let's prepare for the worst, and let's pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage as possible,” DeSantis stated during the briefing. "But we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida."
Forecasts indicate that Milton will make landfall on Wednesday, with the storm's trajectory aimed at Tampa. As of Tuesday morning, its maximum sustained winds reached 145 mph while it was located about 500 miles from the state. Even if it weakens, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center warned in a morning report that Milton will still pose a significant danger well into Florida’s interior.
“An increase in vertical wind shear will likely cause some weakening before the hurricane reaches Florida,” the NHC report indicated. “But there is high confidence that Milton will remain an extremely dangerous hurricane when it reaches the state.”
Milton would mark the second hurricane to impact Florida within about two weeks, following Hurricane Helene's landfall in the Big Bend region last month. Unlike Helene, which mainly struck less populated rural areas, Milton is expected to affect one of the state’s most densely populated regions. Pinellas and Manatee counties, both along the Gulf Coast, had already experienced serious coastal flooding damage from Helene, despite that storm making landfall hundreds of miles away, and were still in the process of clearing debris.
To assist in the cleanup, DeSantis called upon the Florida Department of Transportation. However, with Milton approaching, much debris remains along roadways.
“There’s still a lot and there will be a lot out there,” said state Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue during the news conference. “But we’re going to keep working at it.”
Helene also caused extensive damage in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, resulting in some debris removal crews abandoning their contracts with Florida municipalities. This departure has led to delays in clearing roadways of accumulated storm debris, prompting state officials to seek support from the Department of Transportation.
In preparation for Milton, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management, mentioned plans to send a letter to FEMA seeking increased reimbursement rates for debris removal, hoping to attract crews from farther away. Additionally, this initiative could entice contractors who had departed Florida in favor of other states impacted by Helene to return.
As the storm looms, tensions have surfaced between DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris. NBC News reported that DeSantis had not responded to the vice president's calls regarding storm recovery. Harris did not refute the report and accused the governor of "playing political games." In response, DeSantis stated on "Fox and Friends" that he was unaware of any attempts from the vice president to contact him.
"It's not about you, Kamala," he remarked to the conservative outlet.
On Monday night, DeSantis and President Joe Biden exchanged information about the storm, according to the White House.
At the Tuesday briefing, DeSantis warned residents to brace for extensive power outages, announcing that a significant number of line crews were being mobilized across the state. Florida expects up to 40,000 linemen, some coming from as far as California, to arrive before Milton's landfall.
With anticipated widespread outages and evacuations, the governor highlighted the heightened risk of looting in affected communities. However, DeSantis reminded would-be looters that many Floridians own firearms.
“If you think you can go in and loot you’ve got another thing coming,” DeSantis cautioned. “You don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Milton intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday, boasting winds of 175 mph while moving slowly towards Florida from the western Gulf of Mexico. However, by Tuesday morning, it had downgraded to a Category 4 storm, which remains extremely powerful. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center believe that last-minute changes in wind speeds near the coast might result in further weakening before landfall. Nonetheless, DeSantis noted that a less powerful storm still poses a threat of hurricane-force winds as it heads towards Orlando and the Atlantic coast.
During a morning briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center, DeSantis pointed out that meteorologists did not expect Milton's rapid escalation from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane. He emphasized that there's no certainty the storm will weaken as anticipated.
“Let's prepare for the worst, and let's pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage as possible,” DeSantis stated during the briefing. "But we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida."
Forecasts indicate that Milton will make landfall on Wednesday, with the storm's trajectory aimed at Tampa. As of Tuesday morning, its maximum sustained winds reached 145 mph while it was located about 500 miles from the state. Even if it weakens, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center warned in a morning report that Milton will still pose a significant danger well into Florida’s interior.
“An increase in vertical wind shear will likely cause some weakening before the hurricane reaches Florida,” the NHC report indicated. “But there is high confidence that Milton will remain an extremely dangerous hurricane when it reaches the state.”
Milton would mark the second hurricane to impact Florida within about two weeks, following Hurricane Helene's landfall in the Big Bend region last month. Unlike Helene, which mainly struck less populated rural areas, Milton is expected to affect one of the state’s most densely populated regions. Pinellas and Manatee counties, both along the Gulf Coast, had already experienced serious coastal flooding damage from Helene, despite that storm making landfall hundreds of miles away, and were still in the process of clearing debris.
To assist in the cleanup, DeSantis called upon the Florida Department of Transportation. However, with Milton approaching, much debris remains along roadways.
“There’s still a lot and there will be a lot out there,” said state Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue during the news conference. “But we’re going to keep working at it.”
Helene also caused extensive damage in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, resulting in some debris removal crews abandoning their contracts with Florida municipalities. This departure has led to delays in clearing roadways of accumulated storm debris, prompting state officials to seek support from the Department of Transportation.
In preparation for Milton, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management, mentioned plans to send a letter to FEMA seeking increased reimbursement rates for debris removal, hoping to attract crews from farther away. Additionally, this initiative could entice contractors who had departed Florida in favor of other states impacted by Helene to return.
As the storm looms, tensions have surfaced between DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris. NBC News reported that DeSantis had not responded to the vice president's calls regarding storm recovery. Harris did not refute the report and accused the governor of "playing political games." In response, DeSantis stated on "Fox and Friends" that he was unaware of any attempts from the vice president to contact him.
"It's not about you, Kamala," he remarked to the conservative outlet.
On Monday night, DeSantis and President Joe Biden exchanged information about the storm, according to the White House.
At the Tuesday briefing, DeSantis warned residents to brace for extensive power outages, announcing that a significant number of line crews were being mobilized across the state. Florida expects up to 40,000 linemen, some coming from as far as California, to arrive before Milton's landfall.
With anticipated widespread outages and evacuations, the governor highlighted the heightened risk of looting in affected communities. However, DeSantis reminded would-be looters that many Floridians own firearms.
“If you think you can go in and loot you’ve got another thing coming,” DeSantis cautioned. “You don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
