FEMA Declares Disasters in Seven Counties After Idalia

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(TNS) – The federal government has accepted Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request for a major disaster declaration for seven counties devastated by Hurricane Idalia, though some areas in need are not included, the governor said at a news conference Friday.

President Joe Biden will travel to Florida to visit the hardest hit areas on Saturday, though it remains unclear whether he and DeSantis will tour together.

The seven counties now eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, and Taylor. Individuals and households can now apply for money to help recover from the extensive flooding and property damage Idalia brought to the region.

Nearby Madison County was not included, however, though it was “hard-hit,” with 100% of residents losing power, DeSantis said. He expects the county to be added to the list soon.

“I think we’re going to get that,” DeSantis said.

Biden will arrive in Florida on Saturday to tour the areas most in need. Asked if he plans to tour with Biden, DeSantis said “I don’t have details.”

He added that it would be “disruptive” to some of the communities “to have the whole kind of security apparatus” that comes with a presidential visit.

Some of the most devastated areas, like Horseshoe Beach, have only one way in and out, he added. On his recent visit, he said, he arrived by a Blackhawk helicopter and landed on a sand dune.

“There’s only so many ways to get into these places,” DeSantis said. “What we want to do is make sure power restoration continues, relief efforts continue and we don’t have any interruption in that. I’m sure they’ll be sensitive to that as well.”

Search and rescue efforts are beginning to conclude in many counties, transitioning to recovery efforts, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. By the end of the day, nine “pods” will be open across the region, offering food and other resources.

Over 476,000 accounts have had power restored since Idalia, DeSantis said, with 91,000 outages remaining. Many more Duke Energy customers will have their power restored by either Friday night or Saturday.

And kids are returning to school, with 58 out of 67 county school districts now open, said Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez.

The Department of Children and Families is opening family resource centers for additional support.

Some people were left homeless by the storm; while touring Horseshoe Beach, DeSantis said, he encountered multiple people left with nowhere to go. The state is moving five trailers into the town on Friday.

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