At least two storm-related deaths are now confirmed in Escambia County, Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Saturday
“One individual in Escambia County had a tree fall on his home and tragically was killed. And another one, unfortunately, died inside of his garage. And when they went to find them, the generator was running,” DeSantis said.
“From the structural perspective, I think our structures handled the storm very well. The problem is that the storm knocked over a lot of trees, and so your house, the roof probably didn’t blow off on this. But if the tree fell on your house, then obviously that’s very difficult situation,” Governor DeSantis said.
Destin-Fort Walton Airport in Pensacola remains closed, but the governor noted that this could change “pretty soon.”
DeSantis that new flooding is expected in the coming days as rivers are expected to crest.
“I know that this was a storm that had a broad impact. It’s not just Okaloosa County where it made landfall, and we understand that there was damage that that stretches really from the Alabama-Florida line all the way into the far eastern parts of the Florida Panhandle. So we’ll be working with the locals to be able to provide the support that they need,” DeSantis said.
-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio
