Hurricane Milton has forced millions to flee Florida this week after officials told residents to evacuate, or “you’re going to die.”
Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120mph on Wednesday evening, bringing heavy flooding to communities and leaving more than two million homes and businesses without power.
The first deaths have also now been confirmed, although exact details on the numbers are not yet clear.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said the damage was “devastating,” adding that “no words can describe it.”
And all this comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast, killing at least 225 people across six states, including Florida.
The crisis has, of course, failed to put a stop to the usual political games, perhaps too hard to resist ahead of the November 5th election.
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris said this week that Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, had refused her calls as the state braced for Hurricane Milton. DeSantis fired back, saying it was “delusional” for Harris to accuse him of “political gamesmanship” and noting that the vice president is not “in the chain of command.”
President Joe Biden then appeared on Tuesday to back DeSantis’ claim, telling journalists that “the governor of Florida has been cooperative. He’s said he’s gotten all that he needs.”
I talked to him again yesterday and I said … I know you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well, we thank you for it, and I literally gave him my personal phone number to call.
Writer Clay Travis jibed that these comments showed “Biden hates Kamala,” adding:
This was 100% teed up for Biden to defend Kamala and he completely threw her under the bus here.
The president made similar remarks again on Wednesday when asked about the governor refusing Harris’ calls, describing DeSantis as “very gracious.”
Harris was also caught covering her hand during an online meeting with officials responding to the hurricane, saying it was a “live broadcast”—prompting The Post Millennial to ask: “Was an aide feeding her questions?”
