'Looters will be shot': Ron DeSantis lays down the law as Idalia rips through Florida
PERRY, FLORIDA: As Hurricane Idalia battered Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stern warning to would-be looters, stating that law enforcement would not tolerate anyone taking advantage of the chaos. “You loot, we shoot,” the 44-year-old Governor warned on Wednesday, August 30.
The 2024 Republican presidential candidate issued the warning during a press conference in Perry, Florida after Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida's Big Bend just before 8 am local time as a Category 3 storm with gusts of up to 125 mph.
"I'd also just remind potential looters that you never know what you're walking into. People have a right to defend their property. This part of Florida, you got a lot of advocates and proponents of the Second Amendment," DeSantis said, according to Daily Mail.
DESANTIS ISSUES WARNING TO POTENTIAL LOOTERS
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) August 30, 2023
“This part of Florida, you've got a lot of advocates of the Second Amendment...You loot, we shoot. You never know what’s behind that door.” pic.twitter.com/onDYivHfEW
"I've seen signs in different people's yards in the past after these disasters, and I would say it's probably here, ‘You loot, we shoot,’” he continued.
DeSantis called it “ridiculous” that anyone would try to loot just hours after Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
"It's just ridiculous that you would try to do something like that on the heels of an almost Category 4 hurricane hitting this community,” the governor added.
He continued by noting that locals would 'defend themselves and their families'. "I would also remind potential looters that you never know what you're walking into. People have a right to defend their property," he said.
Storm surge causing structural damage and blowing out the doors of condo complex in Cedar Key, FL from Hurricane Idalia @accuweather pic.twitter.com/WAJgBtZtku
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) August 30, 2023
How Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc in Florida?
Hurricane Idalia was reportedly downgraded to a tropical storm on Wednesday, when it tore through Florida, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels, and turning small cars into boats.
Two people, a 59-year-old Gainsville man, and a 40-year-old Spring Hill man, are known to have died after losing control of their vehicle during the raging storm.
In the Sunshine State, urban search and rescue personnel have sifted through roughly 75% of the areas hit by the storm, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said in a Wednesday evening news conference.
Caught on camera: A brief, weak tornado spawned by Hurricane Idalia flipped this car on a highway outside Charleston, South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/3bqt0assOs
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) August 30, 2023
A 100-year-old oak tree was also downed during the storm and crashed onto the governor's mansion in Tallahassee. Luckily no one was injured.
Power outages related to Idalia have climbed to over 400,000 customers, as the storm moves from Georgia into South Carolina, according to FOX Weather.
What did President Joe Biden say about havoc caused by Idalia?
After Hurricane Idalia battered Florida and Georgia, President Joe Biden stressed the need to rebuild a more resilient American infrastructure, stating that no one can "deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore."
"I don't think anybody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore," Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
"Just look around. Historic floods. I mean, historic floods. More intense droughts, extreme heat, and significant wildfires have caused significant damage,” the president added.
Biden also called DeSantis on Wednesday afternoon before calling the governors of Georgia, North and South Carolina.