DeSantis says Hurricane Ian left worst flooding in 500 years in Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the Hurricane Ian disaster a “once-in-500-year flood,” he said, speaking from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee.
“The amount of water that has been rising and will probably continue to rise even when the storm passes, it’s basically a once-in-500-year flood,” DeSantis said during a news conference Thursday morning.
“This storm is having wide-ranging impacts across the state, and some of the flooding we will see in areas hundreds of miles from where (Ian) made landfall will be record-setting,” the governor added.
Meanwhile, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke this morning with DeSantis, following the arrival of Hurricane Ian, reported the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, marking the second call this week.
“.@POTUS spoke this morning with Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Biden administration is taking to support Florida in response to Hurricane Ian, including issuing an overnight disaster declaration,” said Jean- Pierre in a tweet.
He added that the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, for its acronym in English), Deanne Criswell, will travel to Florida this Friday and Biden and DeSantis will continue with “close coordination” following the storm.
