Photo:Casey DeSantis/ Instagram; Brandon Bell/Getty
Casey DeSantis/ Instagram; Brandon Bell/Getty
On Wednesday morning,Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife, first ladyCasey DeSantis, used social media to inform the public that she and her family were okay after a massive, century-old tree toppled over onto their home duringHurricane Idalia.
“100 year old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee — Mason, Madison, Mamie and I were home at the time, but thankfully no one was injured,” Casey wrote on Twitter, now known as X, followingthe hurricane.
A short time later, the governor spoke ata press conferencewith other officials to give the public an update after the storm had passed. During his time at the podium, a reporter asked ifhis wife and kidswere okay after the image of the tree on their mansion was shared on social media.
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“We’re fine,” the Republican assured the journalist. “In fact, [Casey] called me probably about 45 minutes ago and told me, says, ‘I guess, there’s a really ancient oak tree split in half and part of it fell,’ ” he explained.
Ron then clarified, “I don’t know that it fell on like, the residence, per se. I think it was a little bit off to the side, so that’s gonna be cleared.” The governor added that if the whole oak tree has to be cut down and cleared, then “that’s just gonna be more room for my kids to hit baseballs in.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with his wife Casey and their three children.Lynne Sladky/AP
Lynne Sladky/AP
Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning as a category 3 storm. The force of nature came ashore near Keaton Beach with record wind gusts and storm surges.
According toCNN, Idalia’s surges of upwards of 16 ft. and wind speeds upwards of 125 mph made it the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida in over 125 years.
Officials with theFederal Emergency Management Agencyshared a release stating they were “ready to move to the most impacted areas immediately after the storm passes” with “warehouses filled with commodities like food, water, blankets, and medical supplies that [are] ready to rapidly move into the impacted area at the state’s request.”
Perpoweroutage.us, approximately 161,000 residents were left without electricity. Tornado warnings are also in effect for areas along the storm’s path.
A flooded street is seen near the Steinhatchee marina in Steinhatchee, Florida on August 30, 2023, after Hurricane Idalia made landfall.CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty
Mallie Critser, a Florida local who survived Hurricane Ian last year,spoke to PEOPLEon Wednesday about bracing for Idalia’s impact. “We’ve lived through the worst,” Critser, a 22-year-old assistant pastor atBeach Baptist Church, said.
Idalia made landfall about 320 miles north of Fort Myers Beach, dredging up painful reminders of past storms. “It was really rough,” Critser added. “But we calmed ourselves down, and we’re like, ‘Okay, it’s not hitting us. We’re okay.’ "
Critser said a high tide caused her home to get “about six inches of water in our downstairs” and although she stayed inside to weather the storm, she could see the water levels were “enough that a spare tire floated past.”
source: people.com
