DeSantis Issues Hurricane Update in Punta Gorda

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has joined others to provide an update on Hurricane Ian. The update was delivered in Punta Gorda as the hurricane continues to affect Floridians, and joining him in speaking were First Lady Casey DeSantis (R) and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R) among others.

Governor DeSantis called the response a “24/7 operation” given the effects of Hurricane Ian.

DeSantis informed that they’re surveying the damage done by Hurricane Ian, and he added that those that evacuated are now returning to inspect their homes for flood damage or wind damage. To provide further financial assistance, Governor DeSantis directed viewers to floridadisaster.org, adding that they’ve been able to raise over $2 million in less than 24 hours.

President Joe Biden (D) also provided comments after a meeting at the FEMA headquarters, sharing that “the numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing reports of what may be substantial loss of life.”

Biden added that “we’re continuing to see deadly rainfall, catastrophic storm surges, roads and homes flooded,” and he mentioned that they’re “seeing millions of people without power and thousands hunkered down in schools and community centers.”

In the Governor’s press conference, he expressed that he was “really impressed with the resiliency we’re seeing here in Charlotte county. This is not anything anyone wanted to deal with.”

DeSantis added that “If you go back… 72 hours before landfall, most of southwest Florida was not even in the cone, and then you have a situation where you’re staring down the barrel of a hurricane, making landfall at 155 mph, so the response here and just the way people have reacted has been very impressive, and we understand that this is just the beginning.”

First Lady DeSantis shared that the DeSantis administration is "proud" of the response from the public, banding together to help those in need and reiterating that they're going to cut through red tape and any other bureaucracy to make sure that those in need are receiving funds.

To see the full press conference held in Punta Gorda, see Governor DeSantis' twitter post below: