Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told CBS News on Wednesday evening that state authorities are “absolutely” prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Milton.
“We’ve got 50,000 linemen staged, ready for rapid power restoration,” DeSantis said. “We also have a full mobilization of the Florida National Guard, as well as receiving a lot of assets from other states, so it will be the largest search and rescue function that we’ve ever done.”
The governor said that “by and large, people heeded the call” to evacuate.
He said the state’s shelters have “plenty of room,” noting that they are designed to withstand a Category 3 storm.
“Look, at this point, if you’re in the west coast of Florida, it’s probably too dangerous to go to a shelter,” DeSantis said. “But one of the things we’ve done in Florida is stress that, when you shelter, you don’t have to get on the interstate and drive hundreds of miles. We have places, even in the counties that are in the eye of the storm, that are inland, that are not susceptible to storm surge, but that are hurricane-proof.”
DeSantis also addressed misinformation that has circulated online about relief efforts for both hurricanes Milton and Helene, calling it “nonsense.”
“I think there’s some people out there, we live in an age where you can monetize a lot of this nonsense online,” DeSantis said. “You can get a lot of clicks, but that is not true in Florida. So, we’re going to do it right, your property is going to be protected. And we’re going to make sure that you get back on your feet.”
