Despite his state dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and anticipating yet another devastating storm, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t answer calls from Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss federal relief efforts, purportedly believing that the calls “seemed political,” NBC News reported.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” a DeSantis aide told the outlet.
DeSantis also missed a call from President Joe Biden because he was on a plane. He also did not attend a post-hurricane meeting held by Biden in Northern Florida, despite being invited. He has spoken with FEMA director Deanne Criswell, NBC reported.
“It’s up to him if he wants to respond to us or not,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference Monday. “But what we’re doing is we’re working with state and local officials to make sure we are ready to be there for the communities that are going to be impacted. We are doing the job.”
Hurricane Helene touched down in Florida on Sept. 27, causing major flooding in the state’s northern rural counties and the Tampa region. As residents struggle with the damage, a Class 5 storm, Hurricane Milton, is expected to hit the state as early as Wednesday.
While North Carolina got the worst of Helene, which has killed over 200 people, Milton is expected to hit the Tampa Bay region head-on.
At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis said “time is running out” for evacuation. He urged those who are able to get out as quickly as possible.
“You have an opportunity today to do what you need to do to execute this plan. You have time today. But do it. Because time is gonna start running out very, very soon,” he said.
According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Milton, if it stays on course, “will be the most powerful hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in over 100 years.” No one in the area, it added, “has ever experience[d] a hurricane this strong before.”
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