On October 10, 2018, Florida witnessed Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm make landfall over the panhandle. With maximum sustained wind speeds of 161 mph, Hurricane Michael remained a hurricane even until the storm reached southwest Georgia. However, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has announced good news regarding the cleanup efforts surrounding the natural disaster that caused catastrophic damage.
According to the Governor’s Office, the Hurricane Michael Housing Repair and Replacement Program (HRRP) has finished its mission three years ahead of schedule. The program was established to “repair, replace, or reconstruct homes damaged by Hurricane Michael in underserved impacted areas. Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida’s long-term recovery and resiliency efforts to deal with the devastating impacts of natural disasters.”
After being initiated in July 2021, the HRRP completed 977 housing projects. The state of Florida has given over $3 billion in funding towards Hurricane Michael recovery efforts.
“Less than two years since construction began, we have made meaningful progress for Panhandle residents affected by Hurricane Michael,” said Gov. DeSantis. “More than 977 residents are home after experiencing devastation from Hurricane Michael, demonstrating Florida’s commitment to recovering efficiently, compassionately, and strategically following a disaster.”
Some of the “most vulnerable” residents were helped by the HRRP, including over 75 percent that were listed as extremely low-income. Over 65 percent of projects aided a female head of household, and 50 percent were minority homeowners and residents.
“The completion of the 977 homes represents 977 families’ return to the security and peace of mind that a home provides, and this is a massive step forward to elevating Michael-impacted communities,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “As Florida braces for another hurricane season, it is important to remember that with every passing day, Florida’s long-term recovery efforts improve, benefitting our families, our businesses, and, most importantly, our safety.”
Gov. DeSantis has made recovery efforts a large part of his presidential platform. He is not shy to remind Americans about the efficiency of the repairs of the Sanibel Causeway.
Shortly after announcing his candidacy, DeSantis appeared on The Dana Show with Dana Loesch in which he boasted about the effort.
“When we had Hurricane Ian come through southwest Florida, knocked out two major bridges and the local governments were saying ‘you’re going to be stuck on your islands for six months.’ So, they came to me and said, ‘Can you fix these local bridges?’ I got my guys together. I said dispense with bureaucracy, red tape, no excuses. Get it done. We did one bridge in three days. We did the Sanibel Causeway in two weeks,” DeSantis said.
Both former President Donald Trump (R) and the Florida Governor are expected to face off in the first Republican primary debate in August.
