Hurricane Helene: DeSantis and the White House at Odds

It's been a bit of a storm in more ways than one. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been steering clear of calls from Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, both of whom wanted to talk about the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene hit the state. A person close to DeSantis said he wasn't picking up because he thought the calls had a political touch to them. DeSantis himself has been in contact with Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell, but not with the White House. Hurricane Helene didn't hold back when it hit Florida's Big Bend region on September 27. The storm caused massive damage to rural northern Florida counties and cities along the Gulf Coast. Even now, many places, like the Tampa area, are still dealing with floods and cleanup. DeSantis had said, "We have it handled," right after the storm and suggested the feds focus more on North Carolina, which also got hit hard.

Other governors, like Brian Kemp from Georgia and Henry McMaster from South Carolina, have praised the federal response. But not DeSantis. He even sent Florida resources to help out North Carolina. Now, another storm, Hurricane Milton, is on the way, expected to hit Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday. So far, there hasn't been any call from Biden about this new storm. Former President Donald Trump has been vocal about Hurricane Helene too, even spreading false information. He visited Georgia after the storm and started a fundraiser for relief efforts.

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