WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, held the first state agency head press conference Monday morning following Hurricane Ian’s destructive path through Florida. Guthrie said he brought agency heads to the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to “ensure that impacted businesses and residents have the …
Read More »The Point, Oct. 3, 2022: Scenes from Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian
Storm survivors, some of who lost all, wonder what comes next?
Read More »Ocala woman suffers home damage after Hurricane Ian
Wanda Follins was doing her daily morning devotional in bed when she heard the cracking.
Read More »Photo gallery: Hurricane Ian leaves behind devastation
Hurricane Ian has left 1.9 million Florida residents without power, as of Friday morning. Although state officials will not be able to soon confirm the total number of injuries, deaths and displaced individuals, it is evident that the damage left behind is catastrophic. Lee County The residents of Lee County …
Read More »‘Complicated and complex recovery’ lies ahead for Southwest Florida, FEMA administrator says
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a press conference Friday morning in Tallahassee on Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
Read More »DeSantis briefs the state on devastation, recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian on Wednesday battered Southwest Florida, and as the storm continued its wrath on the east coast as a tropical storm, Gov. Ron DeSantis shed light Thursday morning on the destruction discovered so far.
Read More »The Point, Sept. 29, 2022: Hurricane Ian devastates Southwest Florida as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state
The storm made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph wind speeds.
Read More »Gov. Ron DeSantis details the state’s emergency response plan to power outages and rescues
On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis detailed Florida’s emergency response plan for Hurricane Ian. Over 10,000 first responders are on standby. Some 42,000 linemen are also on standby to restore power to the 1.7 million people who have currently lost power. 911 call centers are down in Lee, Hendry and Glade counties and those calls are being rerouted to nearby counties. DeSantis urges people to stay safe indoors even if it is clear because many hurricane deaths happen after the storm, due to hurricane hazards.
Read More »Assessing Hurricane Irma’s impact, five years later
This week marks five years since Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Nearly the entire peninsula was under a hurricane watch or warning by the time the storm reached Florida’s southwestern shore.
Read More »Mental health and severe storms: an advocate’s perspective
Sara Newhouse is the Disaster Recovery Mental Health Coordinator for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The position was created in 2019 by First Lady Casey DeSantis to address the damage from disasters beyond the physical.
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