Governor Ron DeSantis Urges Floridians to Prepare for Hurricane Dorian

Statement

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis visited the Emergency Operations Centers in Palm Beach and Orange counties, where he received briefings on Hurricane Dorian and urged residents to be prepared. He also visited the command center of Florida Power & Light to discuss preparation efforts.

"It is imperative that all Floridians and their families take Hurricane Dorian seriously," said Governor DeSantis. "The time to prepare diminishes by the hour, particularly because we are still uncertain of where it will make landfall. Everyone should have seven days of food, water and medicine in preparation for this storm. Additionally, all residents need to be prepared to evacuate, should that be required."

Yesterday, Governor DeSantis sent a letter to President Donald Trump formally requesting that he declare a pre-landfall disaster for all 67 counties in Florida. In response to the Governor's request, Florida has been approved for direct federal assistance. FEMA stands ready to support Florida's Hurricane Dorian preparedness efforts.

Today, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced it has been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. SNAP customers who were scheduled to receive their benefits between September 1 and September 14 will now be able to access benefits through their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards starting August 31 at noon. This is an early release of regular benefits, not a distribution of additional funds.

Governor DeSantis is in constant communication with federal, state and local emergency management officials and state agency leaders to ensure the state is fully prepared. Current forecasts project Hurricane Dorian will make landfall on the East Coast of Florida.

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