Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shown the leadership that’s lacking from the federal government when it comes to disaster relief for Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina and Tennessee.

The Sunshine State Republican, who has been the gold standard of American governors, joined Fox News host Harris Faulkner on Friday to discuss the ongoing efforts to provide aid to those suffering from the cataclysmic effects of the Category 4 storm that devastated portions of the southeast last week.

(Video: Fox News)

After stating how early preparation was able to attend to victims of the hurricane in his own state, including rescues and power restoration, DeSantis explained how Florida has deployed resources to help out in the other states, particularly in North Carolina where many residents of Florida go during the summer.

“Well, Harris, we obviously got the initial impacts of the storm. It was a Category 4 storm but we prepared for it. We had tens of thousands of utility workers ready to go,” he said. “We were able to facilitate 2.4 million power restorations in record time after a major hurricane. But we also, between state and local, conducted thousands of rescue missions as soon as the storm happened.”

“So then we were in a situation where we got through Friday of last week, come in Saturday morning and we didn’t have a demand for rescue but you saw in western North Carolina, you saw people that were very desperate. So I authorized air assets, National Guard, State Guard, Highway Patrol to go into western North Carolina,” he continued.

“So it created this odd circumstance that you have people there in western North Carolina, and look, we’ve got a lot of Floridians that go there over the summer so it wasn’t like a random spot on the map for us, that’s an important part of our state people where they go,” the governor said.

“But you have a situation where the first people that they come in contact with is some state guard unit from Florida and not any of the federal assets?” DeSantis explained. “So the reality is is I don’t think the federal assets were marshaled very quickly at all, but the lesson that I think people should take from this is one we learned in Florida long ago, we don’t rely on FEMA to do any of that type of activity.”

“We rely on FEMA to basically be a bank account. There’s federal programs in place. We get our people qualified for individual assistance, reimbursement for some of the debris, but we take the matters into our own hands for the preparation and the rescue and response, and I just think it’s sad this has come to it,” he said.

“But I’ve got a lot of people up there now working,” he added. “They’re bringing food in, they’re taking people back to safety. It is a really, really dire situation up there in the mountains, and the people that have been up there before and I’ve been up there a number of times since I’ve been governor, and it’s beautiful but it is rugged and if roads start blowing out or failing, you can’t reach some of these communities unless you are putting in air assets, which we have been willing to do.”

Good work! https://t.co/lt6JMOmWnN

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 2, 2024

According to the governor’s official website: “Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is rapidly deploying recovery assistance to North Carolina and Tennessee to help with Hurricane Helene’s impacts in Operation Blue Ridge. This multi-state agency response will include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida State Guard, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team. Additionally, today Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina will be aided by the State of Florida.”

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Chris Donaldson

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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

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