Florida Governor Ron DeSantis deployed state crews early Saturday to clear major highways and bridges after Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 storm. The hurricane struck the Florida Panhandle late Friday, cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of residents while strong winds swept through the Southeast region.
DeSantis told Fox & Friends Weekend that the state scrambled assets at 3:00 a.m. for road clearing and potential search and rescue operations. He noted that no requests for search and rescue assets had been received, which he described as a cautiously good sign. Crews began clearing key arteries like Interstate 10 and major bridges during the early morning hours and continued working through the day.
To address the widespread power outages, DeSantis said Florida had positioned 16,000 utility workers ahead of landfall. This pre-emptive deployment was intended to speed up power restoration and reduce the risk of prolonged outages. The governor stated that he preferred this approach to waiting for the storm to pass and then trying to recruit linemen by Monday morning. He added that stabilizing the situation allows responders to address specific needs, such as damaged homes, more effectively.
DeSantis attributed the limited structural damage to wind shear that weakened Isaias before landfall. He contrasted this with Hurricane Michael, which devastated Panhandle communities in 2018. FOX Weather reported wind gusts exceeding 110 mph, but noted that conditions before landfall helped prevent a more catastrophic scenario along the coast.
Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate warned that dangerous conditions can persist long after the hurricane passes. Speaking on Saturday in America, Fugate cautioned that cleanup efforts pose risks including carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly operated generators and electrocution from downed power lines. He also cited injuries from falls off ladders. Fugate emphasized that many of these incidents are preventable if people take their time during recovery.
DeSantis said the state has strengthened its emergency response procedures after previous major hurricanes, allowing crews to deploy more quickly and coordinate recovery efforts better. He compared the organized response to the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. DeSantis credited state agencies and local county-level communities with being passionate about the recovery work, describing them as working around the clock until the situation is stabilized. FOX Weather's Mike Rawlins contributed to this report.