Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, a Republican, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the state will welcome a visit by Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to assess the damage caused in the state by Hurricane Idalia.
Idalia made landfall earlier in the day across Florida's lightly populated Big Bend region along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and a storm surge of between 8 and 9 feet. In her press briefing Wednesday, Criswell said she will be traveling to Florida later in the day to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis and start assessing the situation on the ground Thursday.
Nuñez told "American Agenda" it shouldn't be surprising for the FEMA administrator to visit so soon.
"I don't know why anyone would be surprised; that's what they're supposed to do," Nuñez said. "The governor has been in constant communication with all of our partners — at the local level, in particular. We know each county is going to have different needs, but we have staged and prepositioned assets all across the state.
"We've got linemen. We've got 5,500 National Guardsmen that will be helping with the distribution of water supplies, meals, etc. Florida is the leader in emergency management and managing hurricanes, no doubt, at the national level. It's a well-oiled machine, but we're going to stand by people because we know people are suffering. They're hurting and as we continue to see the impact of the damage, Gov. DeSantis and I will be there every step of the way as they continue to rebuild."
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