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Governor Scott sets disaster response plan into motion days in advance of Hurricane Irma

Gov. asking President Trump for help
Posted at 9:42 PM, Sep 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-05 21:42:50-04

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep everyone informed, but all of us have to be part of this," says the Governor.

The governor issued a pre-landfall declaration, which allows vital resources from the federal government to start flowing into the state ahead of the storm, including building berms and sand dunes to protect against storm surge.

HURRICANE IRMA | Real-time tracking maps, Hurricane supply kit info & Hurricane Center

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"By declaring a state of emergency allows them to bring in resources faster and easier," said Governor Scott.

Governor Scott also declared a state of emergency. The order temporarily waives all kinds of rules and regulations, speeding up response time, including a halt on weight and driver restrictions for highways so water, food, fuel and emergency supplies can be quickly delivered to Florida.

"We are reaching out to our fuel suppliers...all our retailers that you might be getting your food and water from or gas from just to make sure they are doing everything we can," says the Governor.

The Governor's emergency orders also allow the department of transportation to reverse the flow of traffic where needed to speed up evacuations, and allow pharmacists to fill prescriptions for a full 30 days.

"Because the first three days you gotta take care of yourself because all the first responders will be out there doing all the recovery," says Governor Scott.

And the Governor has already activated the National Guard.