Gov. Ron DeSantis says ‘1100 missions fulfilled’ amid Hurricane Idalia recovery

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Tallahassee Thursday morning to give an update on the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia and rescue efforts.

The governor said 40 rescues have been made since Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m., Wednesday, as a strong Category 3 hurricane. He said efforts will continue until there is no need.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers are assisting in searches for anyone who may still need help.

There were 146,000 power outages across Florida since 6 a.m. Of those who lost power due to the storm, 420,000 homes have had it restored.

Thousands of linemen are still on site, working to restore power. The top priority is Taylor County, which is 100% out of power.

“We’re also fulfilling missions for counties,” said DeSantis. “There have been 1100 missions that have either been fulfilled or in process of being fulfilled, so the things that may be necessary, particularly in some of these hard-hit areas: fuel, water, MREs, tarps. all that stuff, we have an abundance of, and we will be providing that as needed to the affected communities.”

DeSantis said all bridges have been cleared. The 15-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in Madison has also cleared and reopened.

A major disaster declaration was requested for all 25 counties under a hurricane warning in order to provide resources, including shelters and temporary housing.