Hero of the Week: October 21, 2024: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
“Jurisdiction matters.“
~ Catherine Austin Fitts
In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted that President Ronald Reagan once said, “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,'” but added, “There’s a lot of wisdom in that, but I don’t think The Gipper ever saw Florida respond to a natural disaster, because we get after it and we do make a difference.”
The excellence displayed by Governor DeSantis and his team in preparing for and responding to the recent hurricanes includes decisive action by Florida’s Emergency Operations Group, which tore down a closed chain-link fence to the Pinellas County landfill to clean up debris from Helene before Milton hit (debris that could have exacerbated the damage from Milton), and Gov. DeSantis’s “record-setting” activation of 50,000 linemen in anticipation of Milton’s impact on the electrical grid. As a result, more than four million customers had power restored relatively quickly after the storm.
The governor and his disaster recovery team also ran a superb livestream, demonstrating exceptional mastery of the facts on the ground, an understanding of what needed to be done, and an awareness of the importance of keeping communication channels and action flowing. Nor did Gov. DeSantis hesitate to correct a reporter who sought to promote a faulty climate change narrative.
North Carolina and Tennessee residents had reason to appreciate the Florida governor, whose post-Helene “Operation Blue Ridge” immediately mobilized personnel from Florida agencies to assist the two states in their recovery efforts.
This performance illustrates the importance of great leadership and why you want a competent governor who knows how to run a state government and both anticipate and respond to disasters of various types.
As a preparedness reminder, Catherine also notes that the individuals who tend to fare best after a disaster are those who take steps toward resiliency ahead of time, including maintaining excellent records of assets and insurance in multiple locations.
Related:
DeSantis: Over 50,000 Linemen Have Been Activated for Hurricane Milton in Florida
DeSantis Announces Record-Setting Number of Linemen Ahead of Hurricane Milton
DeSantis Praises Milton Recovery Efforts as Rising Flood Waters Persist in Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis Launches Operation Blue Ridge
Related Solari Reports:
Hero of the Week: March 27, 2023: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Hero of the Week: March 14, 2022: Gov. Ron DeSantis