Gov. DeSantis urges Floridians at Home Depot in Jupiter to prepare for hurricane season
JUPITER — Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on Florida residents to prepare for hurricane season and said the state is better prepared now to deal with storms than it has been in the past.
He said at a news conference at a Home Depot in Jupiter on May 30 that there is normally a tax free holiday on hurricane supplies around June 1 — the first day of hurricane season — but that the state budget impasse has kept that from happening. He hopes one will happen this summer when the new budget is in place.
'You just have to prepare and plan that we are going to have impacts,' DeSantis told a sea of workers and shoppers. 'If you plan and it doesn't happen, you are never going to have great regrets on that. If you don't plan and it happens, you are going to be immediately saying, 'Why didn't I do this?' '
Recent storms like Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which made landfall within weeks of each other, found Florida better prepared to deal with storms, DeSantis said. Utilities statewide, led by Florida Power & Light Co., restored electrical power rapidly after the storms.
A program that diverted all Florida Department of Transportation dump trucks to debris cleanup made storm pickups faster and more efficient. Essential local stores like supermarkets, led by Publix, are now better prepared with generators to open quicker after hurricanes hit, the governor said.
DeSantis said the state received a reimbursement under the Biden Administration for its debris cleaning-efforts, but he doesn't know if the state will receive a similar reimbursement this year.
'People were like, 'Where is the president in all of this stuff?' DeSantis said. 'I think the Biden Administration was sensitive on the heels of that.'
DeSantis said that if people are told to evacuate their homes, they don't have to travel to other states or take a 'major excursion.' He recommended that people in Palm Beach County find a place to stay more inland.
The state cannot expect assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on hurricane preparation or response, he said. Any assistance from FEMA after the storm would require approval from the people running the agency, he said.
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said this hurricane season is predicted to be similarly active as compared to last year. He told people to follow a five-step plan to prepare for hurricane season:
Know your home. If it was built before 2004, it is likely not up to Florida building codes.
Know your zone. Are you in a storm surge or flood zone?
Make a plan for everyone in your family, including pets. Build a disaster supply kit with essentials like water, food, flashlights, batteries and power banks.
Keep your electric vehicles charged and gas tanks halfway full.
If you need to evacuate, find a hotel or shelter built after 2004.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gov. DeSantis at Jupiter Home Depot: Prepare for hurricane season
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