TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Florida’s US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want Congress to come back early and boost funding for FEMA, ASAP. That’s as state recovery work continues to make progress on the ground.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said Tuesday more than 2.3 million power accounts have been restored since Hurricane Helene, a category four storm, swept through the Big Bend region of the state Thursday evening.
Under 50,000 accounts were still in need of restoration. Officials cautioned that some of those would be the most difficult to reconnect. Not only are they in remote areas, but some are powered by utility stations that need to be rebuilt.
Just five school districts are now closed, down from nine on Monday. The remaining K-12 facilities are set to reopen on Wednesday.
“I think this is as fast as has been done in the state's history,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking about recovery operations at a Horseshoe Beach press conference.
DeSantis announced more temporary housing for those in need and vowed to keep state aid flowing.
“If there's a demand and they need to be here, you know, they can be here for as long as necessary,” said the Republican leader.
Analysts at Moody’s reported Monday that Helene’s price tag could be between $20 and $34 billion. That’s pricy enough that some are now concerned FEMA will need more money to help with the federal response.
FEMA officials tried to ease worries in a Tuesday conference call. That’s after Congress passed a stopgap last week allowing the agency to tap into a $20 billion pot of funds and use “immediate needs funding.”
“We are in a good position,” said Daniel Llargués, FEMA Press Sec. “INF (Immediate Needs Funding) was lifted yesterday, so I-- we don't want people to think that FEMA is not ready to support the state or even individuals.”
Florida’s lawmakers in Congress want to ensure that position and some are now seeking an early return during recess. President Joe Biden sounded open to it on Monday.
“I’ve directed my team to provide every, every available resource as fast as possible to your communities,” said Biden.
Fellow Democrat Congressman Jared Moskowitz filed a $15 billion bill on Monday with money for FEMA ($10B) and HUD ($5B). He said lawmakers should have passed the supplemental aid before they left.
“Emergency management can’t be a partisan issue – hurricanes don’t just hit Republican areas or Democratic areas,” Moskowitz said. “We have to come together to show the American people government still works.”
U.S. Senator Rick Scott said he, too, was seeking a special session in DC. The Republican, however, wanted an estimate of what FEMA needed before writing a check.
“I know people are out campaigning for the election in November,” said Scott. “They can go back to campaign, but in the meantime, help the citizens of their states.”
Whether this early return to DC will happen remains unclear. Given that an election is so close, leadership is under pressure to wait until after November 5.
Florida’s governor, meanwhile, was also asked if he’d back to a special session of the Florida Legislature. DeSantis kept the door open but said he didn’t think the need was there just yet.
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
The State of Florida and the VA are under scrutiny after the Baker Act was used incorrectly on a young veteran who went to a Florida VA hospital for help.
