Gov. DeSantis urges Floridians to prepare ahead of Hurricane Milton

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Ron DeSantis spoke on storm preparations on Sunday morning in Tallahassee ahead of Hurricane Milton.

The governor was joined by Kevin Guthrie, the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director.

Milton is expected to become a major hurricane before making landfall in Florida.

DeSantis warned Floridians of “potentially greater power outages” than what residents experienced with Helene. “That’s just the reality of what we’re dealing with.”

Debris removal continues throughout Tampa Bay, to clear as much storm debris including sand, ahead of Milton.

“All assets that can help with debris removal are being marshaled to help with debris,” DeSantis said.

All assets that were deployed to North Carolina for Helene are returning to Florida to assist Floridians.

Guthrie urged residents to finalize their storm preparations and to restock on food, water, batteries, and other supplies needed for at least seven days.

“We are preparing for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Ian,” he added.

Over the weekend, DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 51 counties across Florida. An executive order was issued for those evacuating, which allows them to return to their homes when they can.

For more information on debris pickup and storm-related updates, visit FloridaDisaster.org . For residents still needing assistance from Helene can visit HopeFlorida.com .

To get updates from the State Emergency Response Team, text FLPREPARES to 888-777.

The press conference can be viewed in the video player above.

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