From the St. Petersburg Times: Jeb: This is how to respond to hurricanes.
Gov. Jeb Bush praised Florida emergency management officials on Monday while blasting the efforts of Louisiana officials during Hurricane Katrina.Bush said Florida responded successfully in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma because the state relied on the expertise of local emergency managers. He said relying on federal emergency officials can be a fatal blunder.
"Our system is a bottoms-up system," Bush said. "In the case of Louisiana it was left to the federal government to fill a void and the consequences are there for the rest of the world to see."
"This is the model for how to respond to hurricanes," Bush said of Florida. "Compare this to what happened a month and a half ago in other parts of the country."
From AP: Wilma Kills 6 in Fla.; 6M Without Power.
Hurricane Wilma left a wide, messy swath of damage Monday as it sped across Florida with winds of more than 100 mph, shattering skyscraper windows, peeling off roofs and knocking out power to more than 6 million people from Key West to Daytona Beach.State and local officials blamed at least six deaths on Wilma and insured damages were estimated in the billions. Even storm-savvy Floridians found Wilma fearsome as it sliced through the middle of heavily populated South Florida. It was the worst hurricane to hit the Fort Lauderdale area since King in 1950, officials said.
The Category 3 hurricane littered the landscape with damaged signs, awnings, fences, billboards, roof tiles, pool screens, street lights and electrical lines. Felled trees dotted even expressways.
More than one-third of Key West flooded, cutting off the island, and there was scattered floodwater elsewhere.
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Posted by Forkum at October 24, 2005 05:27 PM
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