4 minNews
DeSantis Deploys 16,000 Utility Workers as Florida Clears Roads and Restores Power After Isaias
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis deployed state crews early Saturday to clear major highways and bridges after Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 storm, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate warned that cleanup efforts pose deadly risks, including carbon monoxide poisoning and electrocution.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis deployed state crews early Saturday to clear major highways and bridges after Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 storm, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power across the Southeast. The governor said the state had positioned 16,000 utility workers ahead of the storm to accelerate power restoration and reduce the risk of prolonged outages.
Isaias came ashore along the Florida Panhandle late Friday, bringing intense winds that continued across the region. FOX Weather reported four storm-related deaths in Florida and Alabama. Despite widespread outages, DeSantis said crews made early progress clearing key arteries such as Interstate 10 and major bridges, work that began in darkness at 3 a.m.
«We scrambled assets at 0300 for road clearing and also for search and rescue, should that have been needed. Fortunately, we have not gotten requests for our search and rescue assets. I think that's cautiously a good sign,» DeSantis told «Fox & Friends Weekend.» He added that crews would continue clearing roads «until the situation is stabilized.»
The governor defended the decision to pre-position utility workers, saying it was far better than waiting for the storm to pass and then scrambling to find linemen. «I'd much rather have that than let the storm go by and say, 'Oh, well, we need 10,000 linemen. Let's see if they can get here by Monday morning,'» he said. «So the more you can stabilize everything, and yes, of course, the search and rescue when that's needed is very, very important. But when you do that, then you create stability in the situation, and then we can work if someone's home got damaged, if someone needs something, and we can fulfill those requests.»
DeSantis said wind shear weakened Isaias before landfall, limiting structural damage compared with Hurricane Michael, which devastated Panhandle communities in 2018. FOX Weather reported wind gusts exceeding 110 mph but said conditions before landfall helped prevent «an even more catastrophic scenario along the Florida Panhandle.»
Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate warned that the danger does not end when the storm passes. He said cleanup efforts introduce new hazards, including carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly operated generators and electrocution from downed power lines. «In Florida, our history has been that we actually have as many people lose their lives after the storm and recovery,» Fugate said on «Saturday in America.» «[There are] trees down, power lines, and just a variety of things. And be very careful as you start to clean up. We've seen people get injured from falls off ladders. We've seen carbon monoxide poisoning with people running their generators too close to their house. So, a lot of this can be prevented if people take their time.»
DeSantis said Florida had strengthened its emergency response procedures after previous major hurricanes, allowing crews to deploy more quickly and coordinate recovery efforts more effectively. He contrasted the current response with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which he said «descended into chaos.»
«The folks that are on the ground both in our state agencies and in these local communities at the county level, they're very passionate about this project,» DeSantis said, adding that crews had been working «around the clock.» «They will continue to do that until the situation is stabilized, but they do deserve a lot of credit. They're the best in the business.»
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