Communities Rebuild Following Hurricanes

Welcome back, I'm Tiffany Meyers, Southeast communities are actively working to recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The storms brought severe flooding that destroyed homes and left streets in ruins. Efforts are now underway to help residents rebuild and restore their lives. NTD's Christina Corona tells us more. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised recovery efforts following Hurricane Milton Tuesday, noting that over 4 million customers had their electricity restored within a week of the Category 3 storm, a record pace for such major storms. He also assured residents that fuel remains available. We have now dispensed, just from the state, over 2.5 million gallons of gas free to the people of Florida. So we've done regular gas, we've done diesel. Some of that has been just backfilling stations who needed it and they weren't maybe able to get it from the port. But a lot of it has been our fuel sites that we've set up. He also said that 49 of the 50 school districts that had experienced closures last week have reopened Tuesday. DeSantis said that through the Florida Disaster Fund, they've been able to streamline processes, allowing them to quickly deliver assistance to those in need. So I'm proud today to say through the Disaster Fund, I am here in Pasco County to award half a million dollars to support non-profit organizations that operate in Florida and provide free muck and gut services, free debris removal, free tarping, free temporary home fixes, and other volunteer services to those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by any of these hurricanes. In North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper spoke alongside FEMA officials Tuesday to provide an update on his state's recovery from Hurricane Helene. The devastation that I've witnessed is hard to describe. Homes and businesses flooded and destroyed, roads and bridges completely washed away. I've assured families and local officials on the ground that we will pursue all available assistance for the area's long-term recovery. He announced that power outages have decreased from 1 million to 13,000, while closed roads have been reduced from 1,200 to 580. FEMA has approved aid for 77,000 individuals, with over $99 million already dispersed, and has secured temporary hotel accommodations for 1,900 people. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says federal disaster workers have resumed door-to-door visits in North Carolina as part of hurricane recovery efforts following threats made against workers over the weekend. We started to resume canvassing operations yesterday, and I was in the field with them going door-to-door. And our disaster survivor assistance teams will continue to go door-to-door in impacted communities. Cooper highlighted that misinformation has heightened tensions among those applying for FEMA assistance in the aftermath of the disaster. We don't know how many people are not going to apply for FEMA because they have heard misinformation about FEMA taking their property or other wild accusations that are out there. People who desperately need this help but have been convinced that they should be afraid of FEMA or other government officials. Criswell assured residents that FEMA officials are on the ground ready to help those in need. The federal family has been here, working side-by-side with the state since day one. These are people who put their lives on hold to help those who have lost everything. We have over 2,000 people from the federal family in North Carolina, and misinformation will not deter us from our mission of helping people, period. Cooper called for an end to the misinformation, emphasizing that it harms the very people who need assistance the most. The death toll from Helene is more than 240, with 92 individuals still unaccounted for. Christina Corona, NTD News.