Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Tampa dodges the storm surge. That is the good news.
But sixteen inches of rain in Saint Pete, more than
three million without power this morning. That is the latest numbers.
That we have multiple fatalities in Saint Lucie County from tornadoes.
(00:21):
Hurricane Milton made its landfall and sees to key eighty
five mile per hour winds. And now the problem is
there are so many people that have flooding, there are
so many people without power, and it's still going to
be a major problem. More than three million without power.
(00:45):
Don't worry. The federal governments on it. Kamala Harris still
doing all of her interviews. She had time while this
hurricane was barreling down on Florida and others are hurting
from the last hurricane that just happened. What was she
doing hanging out with Howard Stern, the disgusting shock jock. Yes,
(01:07):
hanging out with Howard Stern having a conversation, trying to
get voters to vote for her instead of taking care
of people in this country. If you want to know
what you're gonna get when you vote for this is
what you are gonna get if you vote for her.
She's made it very clear. This is it Hurricane Milton
not her top priority, the American people not her top priority.
(01:30):
Why because Florida is a state she believes is going
to vote for Donald Trump. It's a conservative state with DeSantis,
so her opinion is not my problem. Let me get
you more of the latest that we understand as the
Hurricane Center has revealed new information this morning Hurricane Milton
making land fall near the city of cs t Key
(01:50):
in Florida, with wins up to one twenty at the time.
In a post on x the National Hurricane Center revealed
that around eight thirty PM, the d data showed that
the eye of the hurricane had made landfall near csta
Key in Sarasota County. I actually lived down in Sarasota,
Branden and Florida. This area is so nice and it
(02:11):
is going to have lots to rebuild. Maxustaine. Wins that
landfall are estimated one hundred and twenty miles an hour,
The National Hurricane Center said again this morning, the Doppler
radar indicated that the eye of the Hurricane Milton made
this landfall officially, and then the question was how bad
(02:31):
is it going to be with a storm searche. Video
footage also that has been put out showed that there
were some good things that happened. When I say good
compared to bad. That was a storm surge. We were
worried of ten to fifteen feet in some areas. That
did not materialize because the way that the hurricane was
circling it was actually in some parts taking the water
(02:52):
out to sea down five and six feets in some
area that thought they could get up to ten feet
of a storm surge. The water was actually sucked out
of Tampa Bay by Milton. It happened very very fast.
Videos being posted of shock as the water was taken
out of Tampa Bay and that was a blessing as
(03:16):
the water was taken out very quick. Hurricane Milton making
this landfall by Sarasota, Florida. It is an extremely life
threatening Category three when it hit. There are people that
have died. We know that people have died from the tornadoes,
and that is part of the hurricane. In the aftermath
and the sad part of all of this, I'll go
(03:38):
to that part now. This coming from ABC twenty five.
Wp BF officials say that there are now at least
four dead in Saint Lucie County from these tornadoes. The
Saint Lucy County officials confirmed the news that four people
died in the area. The fatalities reported in the Spanish
Lakes Country Club within the Spanish La community in northern
(04:01):
Port Fort Pierce. Officials said that multiple tornadoes touched down
in the Spanish Lakes community and that search and rescue
crews are on the way. Deputies and firefighters they are
going through the rubble in that community. Before Hurricane Milton
made landfall, more than one hundred and sixty tornado warnings,
(04:22):
not watches. One hundred and sixty tornado warnings were issued
for South Florida on Wednesday, and more than a dozen
tornadoes touchdown throughout the day. This obviously is part of
what happens when you deal with a hurricane at this level.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those
(04:42):
that are affected. This morning. The governor there has said
that in many ways we dodged a bullet, but there
is still major destruction in the state of Florida. There
are still many people that are reeling from the last
hurricane that came through. It was Mayor Liz Albert on
the Hurricane saying this on NBC this morning, and again,
(05:05):
it could have been worse. It could have been a
lot worse. But don't take that away from the suffering
that's happening down there right now. Listen to what the
mayor said.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Mayor, it's good to have you back with us. We
spoke to you twenty four hours ago. You were prepared
for the worst. What are you seeing this morning?
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Well, surprisingly it's you know, at least from what we're
able to get to. It's not as bad on the mainland.
We have not been able to get out to the
Barrier islands. For in Sarasota, the Ledo Key of the
bridge going out to the island there, the small bridge
(05:44):
that we have, the westbound lanes are compromised, so we
are not going to be able to use those. The
Florida Department of Transportation has to get out and check
that out because the of the rising water. Lots and
lots and lots of trees down from what I'm hearing,
(06:06):
so our first and team has been out a lot
of power outages. You can see I've got some lights
are working, some night lights are not. No power in
my building, and about seventy six percent of the city
doesn't doesn't have power, and you know, it didn't seem
(06:30):
I lived just right across the street from Sarasota Bay. It's,
you know, not the Gulf, but the bay, and water
did not come over us forty one where I am.
We didn't get any water in our parking lot. But
you know, out on the Barrier Islands, we fear that
(06:52):
there was an awful lot a lot of wind blowing around,
you know, so it was really a pretty the horrific night.
And I think once we're able to get out there,
you know, we're going to find a whole lot of damage.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
A whole lot of damage. That is how the mayor
described it this morning again, lots and lots of damage.
Mitch Landrew saying this this morning as well about water
rescues underway after Milton caused severe flooding in other areas
like Clearwater, Florida.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
As a leader at this moment, what does one need
to do.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Well, If there was ever a time for us to
come together as a country, this is it. You have
to be on the same team. The president, the governor,
all the federal officials, the state officials, the mayors in
these areas, the police, chiefs and the sheriffs and the ems.
Everybody's got to stay really focused. The governor will help
lead that effort. As you said, Administrator Criswell will be
standing by his side. They're going to tell everybody what
(07:51):
they see, what they know, how they think they can help.
But the best thing that folks can do, even in
this incredible pain is listen to what it is that
they tell you. Based on they're gonna want to rush
back in. That's always a bad idea. There are three
million people that are out of electricity. The worst of
this storm is not necessarily over from everybody, because as
you said, John, this tournatic activity can really really be dangerous.
(08:11):
So we're not out of it yet, and the damage
is going to be catastrophic for many many families and
business owners and communities.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
If there's ever a time for us to come together
as a country, this is it. I couldn't agree more.
The federal government needs to step up and make sure
they're taking care of everyone, not choosing which people to
take care of, not deciding because some area is a
Republican area. With the hurricane we just saw in the flooding,
(08:41):
the aftermat in the Carolinas, and in Tennessee, they we're
not going to pick and choose who we take care
of solely based solely based on who they think they're
going to vote for. Unfortunately, it looks like this administration
is playing politics and that's a big problem. October seventh
(09:04):
was the one year mark of the worst massacre of
the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Twelve hundred Israelis were
murdered and more than two hundred and fifty taken hostage. Yet,
the war in Israel rages on today, with a Ran
firing a massive barrage of nearly two hundred ballistic missiles
earlier this month. Israel and her people are facing attacks
(09:27):
from enemies on all sides. The International Fellowship of Christians
and Jews is on the ground providing food, shelter, and
safety to those in need during this crisis. Since the
war started, thousands of reservists every day Israeli citizens have
left their families to serve their country. Soldiers have been injured,
and their families now need your help. That's why I'm
(09:49):
asking for you to give one hundred and fifty dollars
to help the Fellowship provide food and other emergency necessities
for these families to help them survive. And this is
the other reason why I ask you for one hundred
and fifty dollars, because a generous donor has said that
they will match every gift of one hundred and fifty
or more, doubling your impact. So join me and letting
(10:14):
those families know that listeners like you stand with Israel.
You can call to make your one hundred and fifty
dollars gift right now to eighty eight four eight eight IFCJ.
That's eighty eight four eight eight four three two five.
You can give securely online as well at support IFCJ
(10:34):
dot org. That's one word support if CJ dot org.
Support IFCJ dot org or eight at eight four eight
eight if CJ. Flooding that is the number one issue
right now is what we are hearing. Flooding. That is
the problem that we are having with hurricane at Milton.
(10:56):
We are concerned, obviously they say about the water rescues
that are taking place. There are people right now that
are being rescued. As I am watching the latest reports
come in on our studio TVs here, the storm surge
was absolutely pouring into Venice, Florida as Hurricane Milton was
making the landfall, this was an area that was not
expected to be hit the same way. Florida Governor Ronda
(11:19):
Santus issued a statement in a post on x that
as the hurricane made landfall, it was time to shelter
in place, adding that as soon as weather conditions died down,
search and rescue efforts would begin. He then went on
to say it I'm going to read it to you
in its entirety, the statement by the governor. He said,
as Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Sarasota County, now is
(11:42):
the time to shelter in place. First responders are staged
and are ready to go as soon as the weather
conditions allow. Search and rescue efforts will well be underway
to save lives before dawn, and they will continue for
as long as it takes. There's also the the most
incredible staging alignment that I have ever seen, and they
(12:04):
have ever done in Florida right now. That certainly is
one of the things that's incredibly important right now, something
that's important for the people to get everything back on.
Governor DeSantis giving his final update on TV as the
storm was approaching yesterday afternoon. Here is what he had
(12:26):
to say.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Let's get the latest on Hurricane Milton and where the
state of Florida stands right now from Florida Governor Ron
De Santis, Governor, thank you for the time. I know
you're busy. What's your biggest concern at this hour.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Well, we want people to be safe. We've had a
massive evacuation. Most people heeded those calls. When you start
talking about ten to fifteen feet of storm serves, that's
just mother nature. You're not going to win that. But
we are prepared. We have the largest National Guard mobilization
in the history of the state to respond for search
and rescue. We also have our county and local responders
(13:01):
so that effort will be robust should it be necessary.
We've also staged over fifty thousand utility workers, so they
are in the state of Florida. They've been brought from
all over the country and so as soon as this
storm passes, they are going to be a beginning power restoration.
We did a very quick restoration after Helene two point
four million. We're likely to have more power outages on
(13:24):
this one. Now, this storm is likely going to arrive
quicker than what we were advised. A day ago, probably
between eight and nine o'clock yesterday it was maybe one.
It is going to cut across the state of Florida.
So I would just tell Faridians obviously on that west
coast that's been the focus, but this is going to
have impacts broader than that. We've already seen a rash
of tornadoes that have spun off in various parts of
(13:46):
the state of Florida. And when it exits on the
east coast of Florida, probably in like Brevard County, that's
going to produce some storm surge on the north side
of the storm going the other way. So people just
need to buckle up for the next twenty four hours.
And no, there's a lot of hazards out there.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Yeah, we talked to a bar owner, sent his wife
and kids up north and then he stayed with the dog.
Take a listen.
Speaker 6 (14:10):
I have looked at to say, because my priority is
protecting our home. This is my house, this is for
my family. My business is down the road. We want
to make sure that we're here. We also want to
keep our properties safe. Our business is safe. After Helene,
there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
So what do you say to him, governor, and at
this point it's too late.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Really, well, right, I think at this point you got
to hunker down. But if there are some people who
did not want to evacuate because they were worried about
the security of their property, we're a law in order state.
We will hold looters accountable. You're not going to want
to mess with this. We've brought in massive numbers of
law enforcement officers from out of state to supplement our
(14:54):
local municipal and county sheriff's departments, and they are going
to be present and people are not going to get
away with messing with anyone's property. I also in my
executive order for this one over the weekend, I said
you have a right to return to your property. We've
had issues with local governments saying, oh, you can't go
back to your house until we say so. No, you
(15:14):
have a right to go back if there's some major hazard,
like a bridge is not safe for something. That's one thing.
But we're going to get people back to their homes.
And so the folks that are concerned about their property
who did evacuate, just know we're going to have law
enforcement there. We are not going to let the inmates
run the asylum on the heels of this storm, and
you will be able to go back to your property
and inspected as soon as possible.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
You've been around this block, You've done this before. You
obviously pre positioned a lot of things, as you've just
talked about. You've also talked to President Biden numerous times
and federal officials wondering what you feel about this focus
on misinformation and the comments about it. I know you
heard Jackie Hyndrick's peace about the president saying it was
on patriotic, it's un American, and he said form of
(16:00):
Trump was behind that.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
So here's what I'd say. My job is to manage
this process and lead the state through this. I am
using every lever at my disposal, including federal government resources.
I've marshaled all the agencies in the state government, and
we're working like never before to supplement our local communities.
I've got to get the job done, and that's what
I'm focused on now. People have asked me about, you know,
(16:25):
is FEMA going to do this? Just let me be clear.
In Florida, we run the show. FEMA's not running the show.
We will utilize them to support some of the things
we're doing. But you are not going to see FEMA
running them up in Florida. I know that's been out
there on the internet. That is not going to happen.
I'm the sheriff that's in charge here and we will
make sure to protect you. Don't worry about it.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
And I heard what you said about Vice President Harris
and the phone call. Did she ever get through.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
You know, Brett? Like I said, my job is to
marshal resources and work with everybody to have an effective response.
And she thinks it should be about her. If I
honestly thought that there was something to be gained, I
would pick up the phone and call her. The fact
of the matter is she has no role in this process.
She's not part of the chain of command. I am
working with President Biden and FEMA and our state and
(17:13):
local partners, and we're getting the job done. She has
never been interested in any of the storms we've had
in the state of Florida for entire time as Vice president.
Now she's out there attacking me because I'm not catering
to her whims. All she's trying to do is inject
herself to be a part of her political campaign. I
don't have time for political games. We've got a job
(17:34):
to do. We got people's lives on the line, and
that is our sole focus.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
You listen to governor there making it very clear one,
I'm protecting you as a property owner, your rights. The
FEMA is not running the show. We will take all
the help that they have to offer, but they're not
in charge. I'm the sheriff in charge. I've got people
out there ready to come get you. I've got people
out there that are going to get everything back together
(17:59):
as asked as we possibly can when it comes to
putting the power back on. This is incredibly important that
we have a governor who is taking charge like this,
a governor that is saying I'm not playing politics with
Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris is someone who, as he described it,
has never once got involved after any of the issues
(18:22):
we've had, not one single time, not one single time
has she called or asked when we've had other hurricanes.
But now she's running for president and she's like, oh,
I got to interject myself and then play politics and
try to start a war with a governor down there
for not taking my call. He said, I'd call her
if I thought you had anything to offer, that's a
(18:43):
pretty profound statement. I want to take a moment and
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is well off the charts in many cities, and we
need to remember that personal safety and security for you
and your family is the most import in life. So
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(19:05):
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Speaker 2 (19:43):
Now.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
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(20:06):
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ten percent off. That's by r inna. We are getting
an update right now from the governor. Governor is out
there giving the latest update and I want to listen
in live. This is Governor DeSantis. Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Q aircraft operational and hundreds of rescuers engage in over
one hundred and twenty five active missions in twenty six
different counties. Over sixty five hundred soldiers are deployed throughout
the state. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has made land
in water rescues in panelas Hillsboro and Pascoe County. The
State Guard has also been engaged in search and rescue,
(21:48):
assisting with floodwater evacuations as well as damage assessments. There
are currently three point one million accounts without power. There
have been six hundred and thirty five thousand restorations since
Hurricane Milton hit Florida. The areas that have the most
(22:09):
significant outages as of this morning are Hillsboro seventy five
percent out, Hardy ninety seven percent out, Manate eighty two
percent out, Penelis sixty eight percent out, and Sarasota seventy
five percent. Out of course, there are fifty thousand plus
linemen that have been pre staged. A lot of what
they'll do this morning is likely assess the damage and
(22:32):
then begin restoration operations very quickly. And we appreciate everybody
that's in that fight because that's very important for a
lot of people. Cutt and toss have begun at first
light by the Florida Department of Transportation. Three hundred and
twenty eight crews are active in the field with over
three hundred and fifty pieces of heavy equipment and trucks.
(22:53):
One hundred and fifty Bridge inspectors were dispatched at first
light and have begun performing inspections to open bridges across
the impact areas. As I put in my executive order,
residents have a right to be back into their homes
as soon as the roadways are deemed safe. In Tampa,
the Gandy Bridge and Howard Franklin Bridge have been inspected,
(23:13):
cleared and are open, and inspections of the Sunshine Skyway
Bridge are underway. There is debris on the Sunshine Skyway
as well as the Courtney Campbell, but once that debris
is clear, we anticipate those bridges opening later this morning.
Other bridges are being opened as soon as the state
inspections are completed. The Tampa Airport is repairing minimal damage
(23:37):
and should be open no later than tomorrow. Seaports are
a waiting Coast Guard channel surveys to reopen Waterside, but
as of now, our initial assessments is they will likely
be able to resume operations very quickly. We still have
a lot of school closures for today. I think Floridians
should just keep in contact with their local officials about
(23:58):
what that's going to be aboul image and a lot
of the schools that were not necessarily in the direct
path of the storm will be open tomorrow. It may
take a few more days for some of the places
that were harder hit. Now, as you survey damage and
clean up, please be cautious of hazards. We have post
storm fatalities almost every storm, and a lot of these
(24:22):
fatalities are avoidable, so please be cautious of down power lines.
Don't touch them, don't remove tree debris that may be
entangled with down power lines. Standing water can conceal down
power lines and other hazards, so please be mindful and
never walk through storm waters. Standing storm waters can also
(24:44):
carry a bacteria that can lead to fatal infections. This
type of infection was responsible for a fatality following Hurricane Helene,
so please avoid wading through standing water. Please use proper
ladder safety. Please use proper generator safety. Do not operate
the generator inside your home. It must be outside a
(25:08):
safe distance from doors and windows. Visit Florida's emergency accommodation
modules on Expedium. Priceline will remain available for those who
are returning to their homes which were evacuated during the
storm and sustain damage or or in need of other
type of shelter. So these models will continue to provide
real time hotel availability and lodging resources, making the experience
(25:32):
easier for users. If traffic lights are out in your area,
please drive with caution and treat each light as you
would a four way stop. And also remember if you're
going to use a chainsaw, be very careful with that.
We have mishaps on that. After every storm, we are
extending the Hope, Florida Line for another two weeks at
twenty four hours, seven days a week, so if you
(25:54):
need assistance or resources, poststorm, you can call one eight
three Get Hope one eight three three Get Hope. Hope
Florida's disasterum Activate Hope is a program designed to help
people find help following a disaster such as a hurricane.
So you can call the hopeline. You can also visit
the Hope Bus, which will be in some of these
(26:16):
areas very soon and there'll be announcements about that. Florida
Commerce and the State Emergency Response Team activated the Business
Damage Assessment Survey in response to Hurricane Milton. Business Owners
can self report physical and economic damage caused by the storm.
Businesses complete can complete the survey online at Florida Disaster
(26:37):
dot biz Florida Disaster dot biz. Florida Commerce has also
activated the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. We have
fifty million available to Florida small businesses and its zero
interests a loan, very flexible repayment options. You can apply
for loans of up to fifty thousand dollars through the program.
(26:58):
Loans of up to one hundred thousand are available for
agriculture and aquaculture small businesses, and loans of one hundred
and fifty thousand are available for citrus and cattle operations. Again,
these are short term, zero interest loan.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Let me just say, this is what true leadership sounds like.
This is the reason why so many people move to Florida.
This is why Governor DeSantis, many people thought he would
be a great president. He went up against Trump, wrong
timing right, that was the problem. But as a leader
in general, this is exactly why so many people love
(27:34):
Governor DeSantis. He's talking about the loans that people are
gonna be able to get their hands on. He's talking
about the rescue operations that are already underway. He's talking
about getting those bridges up and anything that's washed out
to get people back to their homes. Talking about your
property rights, your rights as a citizen. FEMA is not
in darge. I mean, these are the things that Governor
(27:55):
DeSantis does. And if you're watching or listening to him
right now now, you're thankful that he's in charge. You
notice that everything that he talked about was about assisting.
It was about helping. It wasn't about dictating, it wasn't
about being a tyrant. It wasn't about stay out, stay away,
(28:16):
don't come back until we tell you can. He's like, no, no,
like it's your property. You can get back there. We
don't have an issue with this. We can like, you
guys can get back there, Like we're totally okay with that.
You guys can come back. We want you, like we
want you to come back to your property. This is
(28:39):
the part that I just think is so great, Like
it's this is the part that I just think is
so important. And I got to tell you, like, there's
who way can look at government. You can look at
government as government is a place to dictate to you,
(29:02):
or you can look at government in a way that
is like, hey, we are going to advocate for you.
There are two different thinkings here. And look at the
way that he's doing this. It's incredible. Like I am,
I am genuinely thrilled to see the response that we're
witnessing right now, Like this is this is the response
that people should be excited about. Pray for the people
(29:26):
in Florida today. Pray for everything that is going on
with them. They're going to need our help and hopefully
they're going to be able to rebuild quickly and get
back into this quickly. And that is I think the
most important part of this