Ron DeSantis Team Debunks WaPo Reporter’s Misinformation About Emergency Response to Surfside Condo Collapse

In this Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 file photo, Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at pre-legislative new
AP Photo/Steve Cannon
Hannah Knudsen

Christina Pushaw, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) press secretary, debunked a fake news narrative advanced by a Washington Post reporter on Sunday. The reporter falsely claimed the governor did not quickly respond to the partial condo collapse in Miami and waited longer than 24 hours to deploy emergency relief.

“There’s a saying in emergency management: The first 24 hours are the only 24 hours. FEMA was ready to deploy to the condo collapse almost immediately, and included the crisis in its daily briefing, but didn’t get permission from Gov. DeSantis to get on the ground for a full day,” Post reporter Hannah Dreier said:

Her assertions, however, were missing what Pushaw described as “important context. Pushaw revealed that Dreier never reached out to her for comment and explained that emergency response started “within minutes of the disaster” led by Miami Dade County’s “amazing first responders.”

The county mayor, she added, signed a local emergency declaration, and DeSantis signed the executive order less than an hour later:

As Fox News noted, “FEMA’s account stated that there were no requests for state of FEMA assistance within twenty-four hours of the collapse.”

“Hannah? You going to correct your tweet & apologize?” GOP strategist Arthur Schwartz asked after Pushaw set the record straight.

“Where are your editors? You’re pushing misinformation about a breaking news story and it doesn’t seem to bother you or your editors,” he added:

Pushaw added she wanted to emphasize that Miami Dade County first responders “were on site rescuing people within MINUTES. The state (@FLSERT) activated by 2:30AM.”

“It’s dishonest and gross to pretend the rescue effort was delayed at all,” she added:

At least nine people are dead as a result of the Champlain Towers South collapse, but 152 remained unaccounted for as of Sunday, according to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava:

This weekend, Daniella Levine Cava announced a 30-day audit for “40 plus” buildings in response to the incident but expressed hope that the tragedy was an “anomaly.”

“At this point, we’re starting with the review of those 40 plus, and look this, as far as we know and hope, is an anomaly, but the investigation is going to be ongoing,” she said during an appearance on MSNBC’s Meet the Press.

“Right now, we’re still very focused on search and rescue,” she added.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.