Governor Rick Scott Rolls Up Sleeves to Tackle Storm Debris
September 7th, 2016 by flanewsAlmost ten thousand people remained without power in Tallahassee when the day started Wednesday. As Matt Galka tells us, part of the problem is the debris that utility crews are dealing with, so the Governor joined the Department of Transportation to pitch in.
Tree limbs, branches, and brush littered Angie Woodberry-Footman’s yard in Tallahassee – all caused by Hurricane Hermine. But the nuisance debris didn’t stop the department of education employee from keeping things in perspective.
“I have life, I thank God for life. It could have been a lot worse, when I think about it, I have to think about the people in Lousiana that have agreat amount of damage and floods and lost everything. At least I still have a roof over my head,” she said.
But the fallen foliage is still a problem, and there are still piles all over the city. That’s why Governor Rick Scott rolled up his sleeves Wednesday. The Governor – openly critical of Tallahassee’s response to the storm – joined other state employees and volunteers to help with debris removal.
“We have three groups and we are basically just cleaning up,” he said.
But even though he wanted a faster response – he wasn’t ready to commit to chopping down the city’s well known trees or investing in burying power lines.
“I think we always have to look at what we can do better, we also have to live within our means,” he said.
Among the volunteers was Mara Gambineri with the Department of Health. She had plenty of struggles during the storm.
“We were sleeping in our bedroom and woke up to a deafening boom, and there was a 70 ft pine in my bedroom,” she said.
The Governor expects a full report on the response to the storm after everyone has power and the mess is cleaned up to see what could have been done better.
Posted in State News | No Comments »