TALLAHASSEE, FL—Governor Ron DeSantis delivered an update on Hurricane Debby Monday afternoon, documenting the state's efforts to restore power and infrastructure following its 7 a.m. landfall and warning residents to not drive nor "disaster sight-see".
Hitting near the North Florida city of Steinhatchee with 80 mph winds, the category 1 storm ripped through parts of the state and is heading toward Georgia. And, the Governor warns, will bring immense flooding that Floridians must prepare for.
"Compared to some of the things that Floridians have been used to in the last five to ten years...it is not a Hurricane Michael or Hurricane Ian, but it is a wet and saturating storm," he said at a Tallahassee press conference, insisting that "the water that is going to come down from Georgia" will require state emergency teams to be on their guard for the next week.
Debby, which was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane Sunday at 11 p.m., took out power for over 275,000 Floridians and as of 4 p.m. Monday, around 218,000 are still without. It then downgraded to a tropical storm at 11 a.m. though over 12 million are now under flood watch.
It is now heading north through Georgia and into coastal South Carolina.
During the conference, DeSantis revealed that 435 storm-related missions have been completed and another 400 are now underway. He said 17,000 linemen and 100 soldiers from the State Guard are available for help while 150 Department of Transportation crews have assessed 8,500 road miles and 69 bridges for damage. However, Hillsborough's Sunshine Skyway Bridge is still closed due to high winds and signage issues, he added.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie instructed Floridians to not "drive if roads are underwater" and to not go "disaster sight-seeing". It only takes 6 inches of water to sweep a person off their feet and 1 foot to derail a car, Guthrie said.
Guthrie also warned of disaster scammers and price gougers, urging residents to not dole out cash to would-be "contractors" who would be committing third-degree felonies for posing as assistance.
Lastly, four fatalities have so far resulted from the storm; two from traffic incidents in Dixie County, one from a truck that derailed into the ocean in Hillsborough County, and one from a tree that crushed a mobile home roof and killed a 13-year-old boy in Levy County.
