Ron DeSantis: 16K Linemen Ready for Action as Tropical Storm Nicole Approaches Florida

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 09: The ocean is whipped up by Tropical Storm Ni
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the state has 16,000 linemen staged as it braces for a late-season storm, over a month after the landfall of Hurricane Ian on Florida’s west coast.

“On Monday, I declared a state of emergency for 34 counties to ensure Floridians had time to get ready. The state is prepared to respond to this storm. We have 16,000 linemen staged, 600 guardsmen activated, and 7 Urban Search and Rescue teams on standby to deploy,” DeSantis said Wednesday morning following his decisive victory in the gubernatorial race, besting Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) by over 1.5 million votes:

The 10 a.m. ET advisory on the storm warns of “hurricane conditions” across “portions of the east coast of southeast and east-central Florida beginning this evening or tonight, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect.” It also warns of a “dangerous storm surge” along “much of the east coast of Florida, portions of coastal Georgia, and the Florida Big Bend along the Gulf coast.”

Additionally, the update warns those in the path to “not” focus on the “extract track” of the storm, as it effects will be felt well outside the cone — more specifically, “well to the north of the center, outside of the forecast zone”:

On Tuesday, Orlando’s airport announced that it would “cease commercial operations at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, ahead of the storm’s arrival:

DeSantis’s update follows his administration’s impressive response to Hurricane Ian, with tens of thousands of linemen staged, restoring power for millions of Floridians shortly after the storm passed. That is in addition to the rapid rebuilding of bridges, giving access to island communities once more.

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