TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service Florida) - Governor Ron DeSantis and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long spent Wednesday touring Northwest Florida as the region continues trying to recover from Hurricane Michael.
They started the day touring damage in Panama City, along with soon to open FEMA trailer housing.
Later they went to Tyndall Air Force Base and the tiny coastal town on Mexico Beach, which was mostly destroyed by Michael.
DeSantis has directed the state Division of Emergency Management to expedite money going to Panhandle communities that are being swamped financially by the massive amounts of debris from the hurricane.
"The better the cleanup, and as people see that we are not forgetting about this and that it's getting better, people are more likely to move back," said DeSantis. "We want, ultimately, Bay County to bounce back stronger than before."
FEMA Administrator Long said the sheer volume of debris from the storm means the cleanup process will take a long time.
State officials have estimated the Oct. 10 hurricane created about 20 million cubic tons of debris.
Much is still strewn across the region.
By comparison, Hurricane Irma in 2017 that cut a path from the Florida Keys to Jacksonville, resulted in just two million cubic tons of debris.
