Appearing in Bradenton, Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis discusses ongoing recovery efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. There is plenty of fuel in the supply chain, the issue is that many gas stations may be waiting on power restoration.
Debris cleanup from both Helene and Milton is now being handed back to the municipal regions who are the first responders for debris removal. For those unfamiliar, generally a hurricane creates 7 years’ worth of debris that needs to be cleared and removed. FEMA underwrites the first 10 days and reimburses the local authorities for debris removal.
Full state DOT assessments have been completed for state roads and bridges. Power restoration continues. Governor DeSantis walks through the current state of recovery. WATCH:
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That yellow house behind him is a block from our place.
Appears it was looking to relocate.
There were many mandatory evacuations ordered.
Some houses complied…
Some houses defied…
Trust God. Fear not.
Is YOUR house still standing safe on its own foundation?
Yes. Don’t have eyes on it yet, but from drone videos I was able to confirm it was still standing.
Thank goodness!!
That’s a bit too close to home, I’d say! Echoing that I’m glad you are safe!!
SO glad you’re safe!!!
wow….glad your ok…
I hope your home fared much better.
There is plenty of fuel in the supply chain, the issue is that many gas stations may be waiting on power restoration.
So what you are saying is . . . Florida needs to require vital fuel dispensaries have back up generators . . . perhaps gasoline powered?
Just a thought!
I have been saying the same for years. Put large gas generators strategically where they can be used by stores that can provide gas, ICE, water. Use refrigerated trailers to store the ice and plug them in.
Great idea!! Especially in Florida where they are hit by so many hurricanes. I guess the problem is you never know where those hurricanes are going to hit.
Then maybe one such facility for each 5000 residents, with the facility agreeing to do so getting tax breaks?
The Left uses the tax code for their evil pet projects, we should use it for good.
Or propane.
Did you say propane?
I think there are special regulations if they are located on evacuation routes.
They are required on vital evacuation routes, I seem to recall. That was enacted a lot of hurricanes back. Specifically, the turnpike and interstates.
It’s beyond human comprehension why places like grocery stores don’t all have them. Today at my Dollar General market they were throwing out all the refrigerated and frozen food. Insane. I’m talking a lot of money going in the dumpster and it will be a while before corporate re-stocks.
Publix installed natural gas generators way back (Francis or Jean I think). SD has mentioned it before, and ours was open in Boynton Beach after we were hit with 138 mph off a golf course. Real special getting there, though. Had to chisel our way out of the neighborhood.
I don’t know about south Florida, but our local Waffle House has generator back-up and is always the first to open after a hurricane. Handy for relief/recovery workers as well as people who just want a hot meal and cold drink.
My daughter down that way says if Waffle House is open you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel, lol.
A friend of mine who lives in Ocean Springs, MS told me that after Katrina, nearly every building on the gulf from New Orleans to close to where she lives, was destroyed.
She said Waffle House was the first business to rebuild.
Waffle House Index
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House_Index
A few years ago a local small grocer in Mass had a power outage in the middle of the night, I was driving behind the building on my regular trip to pick up pallets for burning. Saw an employee loading foodstuff in a dumpster,asked what happened. This was in January, 23 degrees out, I loaded up several thousand dollars of food ,butter,yogurt,sausage,etc.
Everything you would expect ,still have some butter left in the freezer, all good stuff . Absolutely hate waste of food. The next day went back for more, the owner came out, mentioned it wasn’t safe for eating and then asked if we would give him money?
I’m asking him I thought you just said it wasn’t safe.
Any way I donated cooler fulls of yogurt,cream cheese,etc. to the local food pantry.
Yes there is a law but not every business is mandated. They are required in nursing homes, hospitals, vital fuel routes as mentioned, plus gas stations with 10 or more pumps. The S. Fla. east coast has a lot of retail and grocery stores with generators to stay in business.
Enacted after the 2004 and 2005 slew of hurricanes Jean, Charley, Wilma, Francis and baby Katrina.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2022/0526.143
Why gasoline?
Diesel is a much better generator.
During the first storms of the 2004 season a local station operator had a personal generator he brought to the station paid to have it connected then was charging a nickel a gallon extra for the cost of fuel to run the unit and have station open.
The people complained called the news and LE on him. He shut off the generator unhooked it towed it back to his house.
Sounds like that local station operator had the right idea. Providing a necessary service while taking his costs into consideration. How dare he be a Capitalist???? /s
Yep.
What’s that thing about no good deed…?
People are so stupid they screwed themselves and it never even registered. No good deed goes unpunished.
Wow? Florida passed price gouging laws for emergencies like hurricane recovery. The people thought five cents a gallon more was price gouging? Dang. There is a gas station near OIA airport that socks it to people filling up their rental cars before returning them. They get away with it all year.
No one gets gas there but people late for a flight! Those last few gas stations before OIA make people never want to come back to O-Town, if the rest of their ripoff vacation didn’t sour their perception first!
OMG, is that the one on Semaron across from the Cracker Barrel? I lived in Orlando several years ago – I remember that place. Can’t believe they’re still in business.
Gas gennys have to run at 3600 rpm to generate the necessary hertz to generate power. Diesel does that at half the rpms..
Mostly, a diesel below 15kw usually runs at 3600, like a typical portable welder.
My 15kw that was a marine genset take out runs @1800.
It’s now mounted on a trailer with a plastic outboard motor style tank and a radiator from an F 150.
Have a rare 12kw Honda diesel that is enclosed very quiet that runs @ 3600 it has caster style wheels to roll it.
The 15 runs the house while the 12 runs the shop behind the house.
My South Florida transplant neighbor just had a sweet 40W 3 cylinder diesel installed. It runs at 1800 rpm and I was under the impression they all did! Thanks for curing my ignorance, E!
He got the same engine that his John Deere Tractor runs on in case he ever got in a pinch and had to swap out parts from one another.
And isn’t diesel less flammable?
Diesel + water = problems
????
Gasoline + water = problems as well. I don’t understand your point.
Diesel fuel is more hydrostatic than gasoline, but there are fuel additives for each.
“People”can be such idiots.
Many coastal gas stations were flooded and their fuel contaminated with sea water. The stations near me still don’t have gas some that got it were bled dry by the retuning droves of mostly Liberal Coastal Elites coming back from where ever.
BK called it upthread, propane, what I hope to install myself on the opposite corner of the country.
Still, if you have good gas to sell, you have good gas to burn.
Sadly the Sabal Trail has pipeline ain’t far, I just don’t know how how much it’s being used these days..
Propane is $$$ to run, have to use a larger engine to get the output/ torque of a diesel.
What ever you do stay away from Generac, avoid like a Covid shot.
Brilliant!
I was just talking with hubs yesterday, and I asked how did gas stations manage before everything got tied to electricity?
Ok, that didn’t work. How does one post an image?
I was getting storm updates in my area…now I understand why they are so emphatic about the citizens getting their debris to the curb for pick up…
The fuel update was important, too…my heart aches for those affected.
Man floating on a cooler in the ocean post-Milton is rescued (42 second video):
Rescued…cooler too….
Did the beer survive?
What brand of cooler? Igloo, Yeti or Grizzly?
The news was reporting a lot of those people taking to the sea. Not the sort of thing I would do.
IMO, those people “taking to the sea” during a major hurricane are narcissists and/or just plain stupid.
I don’t even understand the language “taking to the sea”! sounds leisurely, like you had an hour to kill in between squalls.
More like taken BY the sea!
I was about to say washed out to sea?
I wonder if he was trying to get his boat to a safer anchorage and mis-judged the amount of time needed and the speed of Milton. NOT something you want to wait until the last minute to try.
People take the risk it will miss them and in the last 12 hours when area is narrowed, they move and get caught in squalls.
Some boats are kept on land, on trailers and if they can’t tow them, then they “put out to sea” to dock them somewhere else.
Moving the boats to a safer area, many are live a boards. That is all they have.
30 miles off of the coast! Wow, I’m glad they found him.
During the rescue, a rope dangled from the bottom of the helicopter.
Can the rescuers put a net at the bottom of the rope? Maybe a net that’s 10′ x 10′ x 10′.
Then when the helicopter gets to the guy on the cooler, the rescuers might hang the net near or under the guy, scoop him up into the net, and raise the net up into the helicopter. Would that work?
Why the heck was he 30 miles off coast after a hurricane warning????
Why do some people demand 15 minutes of fame when they have nothing to show for their lives up to that point?
p.s. was that really 15 minutes of fame or just 15 minutes of exhibiting what a fool this man is
you decide.
rita, please wait. You don’t believe that rescued person took to the sea “intentionally”?! You couldn’t possibly. That’s the last kind of “fame” anyone would want!
He did.
Did he say so, or are some just assuming?
rita: See Betsy’s article link, further below. The rescued person was captain of a fishing vessel that had been trying to get back to port, but had a fouled rudder. He was not a thrill seaker.
Thank you for the input, billria. I hadn’t heard the “backstory” till now.
That was the 2nd time the Coast Guard rescued that guy… first, his boat was rudderless (Wednesday) and he called for help… they rescued him and his mate. Then the guy decided he would try to fix the boat so he went back out there on Thursday… and it sank! So, he had to be rescued a 2nd time after spending the night in that cooler in the middle of a hurricane.
It was his source of income. Boats are expensive and he tried to save it. I don’t blame him for trying.
“The wind began to switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch.”
“ The waves began to crash, with all their fury they did lash, now all that’s left are piles of trash.”
They are back to screwing with his sound. I was watching WBBH in Fort Myers and the news dipped out of his press conference yesterday. I don’t want to listen to you two bobbleheads, I want to hear what the governor is saying.
Anyway, I got my power back on in N. Fort Myers and only lost one screen and one window.
Great. My buddy in Naples still no power but the golf course is open!
You gotta have your priorities.
I don’t know why the golf course is open but after Opal, Eglin AFB got flack for watering their golf course. LOTS and LOTS of flack. Turns out that spraying water on the golf course was the last stage of the base’s water purification system and they needed to do that to keep toilets from backing up. I wonder if that put any golfers off their game when that was released.
Still waiting for power here in N. Lake County. 10:00 tonight will be 48 hours. Got most of our yard picked up. Helping neighbors with theirs tomorrow and through next week. No power is kinda stressful. Other than ferociously stubbing my pinky toe in the dark last night — it’s purple — we’re hanging in there. 😸
Agree,having no power is stressful. God bless you for taking care of your and your neighbors’ plight.
Nice! Hang in there sounds like you’re handling it! Do you have any backup power/lights whatever? Hope you get reconnected soon.
Just lots of LED flashlights and lanterns. We have a lake, so flushing toilets isn’t a problem. Temperature has been perfect, so no need for heat or AC. But, by next year, I plan on having a generator, and more/better igloo coolers.
Sounds like you’ve been able to avoid the worst – Godspeed!
re generators I hear you. When I evacuated from CA and moved into elevated mountain area, first accessory I got was a small solar powered unit. It’s just enough to get ya through stuff like what you’re doing now. I joked with my better half the expense was easy to justify, I must have coffee during ALL emergencies lol
Stay Safe – you and yours.
Thank God this wasn’t August with mid 90’s temperatures. The weather is pleasant for those without AC now. Our electric went out at 5:30 am Thursday morning and came back on after 5:00 pm today. This is the fastest power has been restored for my neighborhood in Central Florida. In past hurricanes where we lost power, it ranged from 7 to 18 days before our power was restored. We saw a crew out yesterday assessing the area and marking light poles to repair and putting up caution tape on areas for safety where lines were down.
You learn from each and every experience.
Get a diesel!
Bro, the minute you accept the fact you have no power and stop thinking about it that’s when it comes back on!
I was bushwhacked this afternoon after staying up all night Wednesday, cleaning up all Thursday, tossing and turning Thursday night because my vertebrae were out of whack.
I laid down for a nap because, Praise Jesus, it was still nice and cool outside and in the house. Sure enough, I heard the stove beep and felt a cool breeze from the ceiling fan.
I jumped up and shouted “I GOT THE POWER” loud enough to make the vocalist from Snap! crack a smile!
Just 15 minutes ago I brought a flashlight into the bathroom. Did my business and flushed — the very moment I pushed the handle, our power returned. It felt like I did it. 😆
Yeah buddy!
And all your neighbors are mad at you for not doing it earlier!
Wow, lucky. Would you say you are on the “outer” edges of affected areas?
I live in Vero Beach. It was massively affected by one of the many tornados on the East Coast of Florida before Milton made landfall across the State. We lost electricity about three in the afternoon on Wednesday. Wednesday about 7:30 pm It was back on. It’s still on. I think that is totally amazing. Of course, the hurricane was only a cat one when it got here. The tornado was what did the damage to this town. I was very fortunate in that my condo is unharmed, and the trees that were outside my windows fell right alongside the building rather than into any windows.
there are many neighborhoods in this town that do not have electricity, however. I went to the post office today and they said they had not been able to operate since Wednesday but all the employees were hanging around outside the building they were trying to figure out how to put up a sign.
Any time FP&L has the power on is totally amazing!
If you think of all the connections between where the power is generated to the outlet you plug into you begin to realize there is some kind of magic or voodoo at play. LOL
Not to mention all the lines men from Florida and across the south east. I know that Louisiana is sending crews – they said that Florida has helped them out a lot in the past and now it’s their turn.
Lol
For Sarasota County… FPL had over 75% without power on Thu morning. By last night they had it down to 30%.
Local News report said they expected to have 90% restored by sometime on Monday.
USPS hasn’t “operated” in years.
You were very fortunate. If you are able, I assume you are helping out the neighbors who were not so fortunate.
You sound safe! Hang in there!
MIRACLE!!!
🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/coast-guard-rescues-man-floating-cooler-30-miles-florida-coast
Crazy story Betsy! That piece of styrofoam and hangin on for dear life! I can not even imagine. whew.
There are so many sharks in the Gulf it makes my head hurt thinking about it.
He’s a capable executive. No doubt about that.
I am not a DeSantis fan and will never trust him after the money move to challenge President Trump and all the shenanigans around his run for President… but… he handled this entire last 2 weeks very well and professionally.
Anyone seen or heard from Roy Cooper?
Roy Cooper is a Lefty loser. His non-response to this hurricane proved it.
He’s waiting for his new script from FEMA.
His opponent, Gillum, would have been worse than any current Dem governor. Gillum would have been the quick death of Florida. We dodged a bullet, damn near literally.
Exactly! And Gillum was being promoted as the next Barack Hussein.
Well, they both like to smoke a pipe. Allegedly.
I have the photo of him (Gillum) passed out on the floor on my phone. If any of my Dem friends mention anything about FL, I send / show them his picture.
Agreed!
He was outstanding last year as well getting an island community reconnected after a hurricane took out their only bridge. And he did it record time – much more quickly than FEMA was estimating. He may be a political jerk but he’s d@mn good while responding to emergencies.
Being a “listless vessel” I share your opinion. He even mocked Trump for being old – ageism.
I would never trust him or tiara Casey. He will never have our vote for anything.
I wonder how his EV busses fared.
Gov. DeSantis announces $68M electric bus buy;
activists ask what’s next
August 29th, 2022
Gov. DeSantis’ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is setting aside $68 million to purchase 227 electric buses in 13 of Florida’s most urban counties
The project, announced Monday, is Florida’s latest measure to electrify its transportation grid & reduce the air pollutants that accompany diesel emissions. The buses will replace existing diesel buses in Alachua, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco and Pinellas counties’ public transportation systems.
DEP expects the buses to be on the road within 12 months.
“This funding will help lower emissions while also bringing our transit bus fleets to more modern standards,” DeSantis said in a news release. “This is a win-win for air quality & advancing the state’s efforts to bolster growing electric vehicle usage.”
I’m thinking once Florida is done with him, maybe head of FEMA?
@sundance or anyone else living in Florida who is the next governor likely to be once meatball’s term ends? Is it likely that a DemonRat wins or another RINO? Just wondering.
I don’t know and it’s something we need to figure out, and quick, because I guarantee that the Dems aren’t going to rest, regarding the next gubernatorial election.
Agreed! I hope Florida stays red with a capable governor and not a DemonRat or RINO.
I suggest Sheriff Grady Judd..
Oh hell yes, Grady lives just a little ways from the ranch in Ft. Meade. See him occasionally at the drive in restaurant in town.
He is good people.
Governor Grady at his first press conference be like: “Ya know, y’all are not used to having a Governor who carries a firearm and is willing to shoot morons on sight. With that, who has the first question?”.
New Florida Blues a.k.a. Cold Cornbread I second that.
He is excellent. hope Trump taps him for something.
We watch him on youtube for crime updates.
Maybe he could head the FBI or something.
He’s clean it up and fire the trash.
Can you imagine the plain speaking updates he could give in a position like that?
THey almost got us with the coke addict. A Soros plant, of course. And, of course, Soros will try again.
Then we had Turncoat Charlie last time.
Yup and her name is Cava – Levin , Miami Dade mayor . Lefty Communist with aspirations for Governor is the word .
Thinking it will be Matt G.
The powers to be would love to get him out of the house and he’s in a solid red district.
He could definitely win, with perhaps Michael Walz, Byron Donalds or even the sniper from Port Orange, Corey Mills.
Have to consider the Latin vote too in S. Fla. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez may have a following, although she is now out of sight.
Strong States Rights is making a comeback with a push toward more Federalism and decoupling many programs from DC.
A lot of FL conservatives want America First policies and Trump Doctrine issues implemented across the board.
Should be a Repub.
FL. has @ 1 million more registered Rs than Ds now.
The change started around 2020, and accelerated year by year. Before that, we had more Dems than Repubs.
FL has a bunch of NPA/Indies!
True.
But they’ve also been going down since ’21.
Frankly, if I was a Lefty voter in FL., I’d do my best to move to WA. or OR. (I say that as someone who did the opposite).
I also know some registered Dems here who always- and I do mean always- vote R.
Guess they’re just too lazy to switch their registration, and don’t care about voting in the Primaries, which are Closed.
I hope so. And I hope it’s not a RINO.
Here’s the link:
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-reports/voter-registration-by-party-affiliation/
Should be a conservative Republican.
Could Lt. Col. Allen West be lured back to Florida?
Just got power restored in Lake Wales. Thank you to the lineman. Have a generator and ran a line to our neighbor for light and fridge.
Still waiting in Ft. Meade.
Our neighborhood just came on about 15 minutes ago.
47 hours, not bad for as rural as we are..
I was out almost 3 weeks in Irma..
Congrats, Taq.
Phew. Feels so good to get the power back!
South Venice here. Locally little damage. Some tornadic damage. No debris lines in any of the drainage ditches. Englewood got wholloped. Lots of flooding. FPL and helping crews are everywhere here. The power line behind my house is gone. A bucket truck is expected to deal with that tomorrow. Lots of smiles around here and I am yet to comprehend the big picture.
I know lots of people have suffered tremendous losses and I am trying to assist others in this way.
Coast Guard rescued this man 30 miles off shore, floating on a cooler.
Where is Roy Coopers update on WNC?
Funny how now that the Kayfabe between him and Trump is over, DeSantis no longer sounds like a fool.
The book on handling a hurricane response in Fl was written long ago it gets fine tuned every time it is used but the basics are there.
Hell Jeb got it right and Rick Scott also. Turncoat Charlie not so much.
Largo area in Pinellas, FL here. We dodged the worst of the storm but there’s still quite a lot of trees down and power out. The power is on for some, but still a whole lot of people & businesses are out, our business included. Gas is the MAJOR concern right now. Some people we know are going to Orlando for it. When we were driving around today to check on families’ houses we saw only 2 stations with gas and the lines were ridiculous. One guy took a video of how long a line was on the Nextdoor app and it was over 2 min long! That should give you an idea of the craziness here. 😔Please pray for Pinellas country that we get gas soon!
⚠️⚠️⚠️If y’all ain’t seen this yet, now is the time..
https://www.kxly.com/ne
ws/national-and-world-news/raw-fl-milton-sinkhole-in-hillsborough-county/video_7fb916fa-3fc9-5204-9941-b897c5c24749.html
Did anybody hear if the North Carolina Governor’s report was as good as the multiple reports from Governor DeSantis?
Me either……..
“We are trained marxists.” – New Woke Forward
Thread: Leaked Emails Show Democrats Conspired To Slow Down Response In NC
BCBS NC worked directly with the Democrat Governor Roy Cooper’s office to slow down disaster relief to Western North Carolina.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1844392418613002594.html
What is meant by “7 years of debris” ?
The amount of debris that would accumulate in seven years if it hadn’t been cleaned up, I think.
Report:
Just took 75-S from GA all the way down FL to a little ways past Sarasota.
Smooth sailing the entire way… granted it was late night, so traffic was fairly light.
I made a point of stopping 30min past Gainesville to fill up. All stations at that exit looked to be operational.
I passed Tampa around 2am. I-4 area was lit up, but I’d say about 30-45 min before Tampa I started noticing dark patches of hwy (no street lights/no digital overpass signs/dark billboards.) This continued- more off than on- the rest of the way
Bradenton exit looked lit, some of the Sarasota exits too. Siesta Key & 2 of the Venice exits looked really dark. North Port exits were all lit.
A good friend of mine had called me Thu morning to say he was checking on my house. Said all looked pretty good… just the top of pine tree had fallen on a smaller tree & bent the fence a little. Also that my power was out… but that there was a crew already working around the corner (fallen tree on one of the lines). I was very happy to find power restored on my arrival.
Got to say it was a huge stress relief on drive back knowing what to expect, & not one full of dark imaginings.
Guess tomorrow I’ll get to test out my mini-chainsaw 😏
Grateful we were fortunate, & good riddance to Milton!
Why building property in this place??? I can only think of rental property, so sad
😔 That’s depressing. I literally just took a drive down this key last month. It’s a beautiful area.
My ex had commented how I shoulda looked for a spot on there. I’d said, “Too expensive. And if there was a hurricane, I’d be trapped!”
Ugh, my apologies for jinxing it.
Found in the bin… 🙁 (I see – your email address was misspelled.)
As far as I am concerned, DeSantis has failed. I am in eastern Hillsborough County east of 75. It is Saturday morning and I still have no power, every street light is still out, there are trees all over the streets and I haven’t seen 1 truck or crew working on anything. A big F to the current Florida administration.
You live in Florida. We get hurricanes now and then. I invested in a generator years ago. It has 151 hours on it since I installed it. I keep 25 gallons of gasoline in storage at all times, using it to fuel my lawn mower to keep it in rotation. Used sensibly, it will keep me powered up with lighting, cooking, refrigeration and even air conditioning for 3-4 days. I only needed to run it 29 hours this week. You obviously don’t understand what kind of devastation a windstorm like Milton or Helene can do, nor do you understand the massive undertaking recovery to “normal” (power, water, sewage, internet service) can be. Governor DeSantis may not have been the ideal presidential candidate, but he has taken recovery efforts very seriously and secured recovery teams throughout the state from across the country. He has kept the people of the state informed and it is obvious he has had very little sleep for quite some time. DeSantis is the envy of just about every other state in the union, and had Florida about as prepared as it could have been for a storm this massive.
Before you hand out letter grades to leaders like DeSantis, grade yourself on your own preparation efforts. Recovery is a community effort. How much work have you done to help clear the trees from the roads? Do you even have a generator if electricity is a dire necessity to you? Do you have a propane stove or grill to cook your food or boil water? Do you have a flashlight? If you still have a roof over your head, a house to live in and a bed to sleep in; if you are still alive, consider yourself lucky. There are many people, hundreds of thousands who don’t have those things. Take your gradebook somewhere else.
Well said.
Saw a local report late last night saying some rivers in the area were flooding– after the fact. Perhaps that is hindering efforts?
Note:
Gas going through GA was around $2.45/ gallon. By Gainesville, FL area it was up to $3.35 😒
And not a teleprompter in sight!
Well done, Governor.
Also, haven’t heard any excuses!
I am impressed.
Power came back on today around 4pm. Very thankful no damage to our home.