Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Helene and is sending help to North Carolina to help that state's recovery efforts, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
DeSantis spoke from Horseshoe Beach on Tuesday on the recovery efforts that continue after Hurricane Helene battered the southeast U.S.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 3 million people in Florida had their power restored and 49,000 customers, mostly in rural areas, were still waiting for the lights to come on, DeSantis said.
The governor said that crews have been busy clearing tens of thousands of miles of roadway and restoring power to millions in Florida after Helene hit the state as a dangerous major hurricane last week.
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HURRICANE HELENE
DeSantis said multiple Florida agencies responded to North Carolina to assist in everything from rescue efforts to roadway repair.
A convoy from the Florida Department of Transportation was sent to help with those roadway repairs and to construct temporary bridges where they could be needed, DeSantis said.
The Florida National Guard brought some 20,000 pounds of food to some areas in North Carolina over a 24-hour period, DeSantis said.
And a team of Florida State Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members rescued a mother and her 1-year-old from an area in North Carolina impacted by Helene, the governor said.
Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.
