'Complete Obliteration': DeSantis Says Hurricane Helene Damage Worse Than Idalia
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said Hurricane Helene’s “monumental storm surge” caused far greater damage than last year’s Idalia.
“Clearly you saw storm surge in excess of 15 feet,” DeSantis said to reporters in Taylor County’s Dekle Beach on the morning of Sept. 28.
“So that is much, much more significant than what we’ve seen in recent storms like Idalia that hit and certainly Debbie, and that is really, really destructive. So, as you look around here, you see some homes that are now just rubble.”
He said some of the damage he saw while flying over the affected coastline on Sept. 27 en route to Cedar Key was “complete obliteration.”
As recovery and emergency response efforts continue across the southeast United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, more than 50 storm-related deaths have been confirmed, and early estimates expect to see more than $15 billion in damages.
DeSantis confirmed that at least 11 of those storm-related fatalities occurred in the state. However, none of these fatalities occurred in Taylor County, where Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.
The governor was joined by the executive director of Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, and FEMA Director Deanne Criswell. They expressed their shared desire to put everyone affected into a safe, dry living space, whether that is providing assistance through the state housing repair program, or provide full temporary housing in the form of trailer either through the state housing program or FEMA’s federal direct housing program.
Guthrie said that trailers were already on their way to Taylor County and portions of Levy County, but he emphasized that they were a temporary solution. Florida building code does not allow permanent travel trailer construction in these areas, especially on the beach in Taylor County.
“We want to help you get through that temporary [housing] onto what your permanent housing is going to be,” he said.
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/complete-obliteration-desantis-says-hurricane-helene-damage-worse-idalia