Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, alongside Major General John D. Haas, Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue, provided an update from the State Emergency Operations Center on the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene.
As of Friday morning, 1,240,968 Floridians remain without power, but the state has already restored service to 1,161,487 accounts.
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Hurricane Helene made landfall on Thursday, September 26, at 11:00 PM EDT as a Category 4 storm with winds of 140 mph. The hurricane hit just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River, approximately 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, in Taylor County.
Governor DeSantis had previously issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, expanding a state of emergency to cover 61 counties in anticipation of the hurricane.
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Key State Recovery Efforts:
- Florida Division of Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center and is leading over 1,500 missions, including resource staging, critical infrastructure protection, and personnel coordination.
- Florida National Guard (FLNG) has mobilized 3,900 Soldiers and Airmen, rescued 30 residents, and deployed 15 route-clearing teams, with 13 aircraft ready for search and rescue and damage assessment.
- Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has 2,100 team members on storm response, with damage assessment teams and bridge inspectors actively working. FDOT has cleared over 2,000 miles of roadway and is preparing for further recovery efforts.
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has deployed over 100 officers with specialized equipment to assist with flood rescues and emergency response.
Residents are encouraged to visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide for more information and updates, and to check FloridaDisaster.org/Counties for a list of emergency management contacts by county.
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