Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced Wednesday that Florida is ready and willing to help California with its response to the raging wildfires, calling for states to “come together” amid natural disasters.
Southern California has been hit with massive wildfires, one of which has expanded to over 2,900 acres in the Pacific Palisades community near Los Angeles. On X, DeSantis shared that Florida is prepared to help the West Coast state respond to the fires and assist in the rebuilding process that will follow.
WILDFIRES AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS DEVASTATE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
“Our prayers are with everyone affected by the horrific fires in Southern California,” DeSantis wrote on X. “When disaster strikes, we must come together to help our fellow Americans in any way we can. The state of Florida has offered help to assist the people of California in responding to these fires and in rebuilding communities that have been devastated.”
Our prayers are with everyone affected by the horrific fires in Southern California. When disaster strikes, we must come together to help our fellow Americans in any way we can. The state of Florida has offered help to assist the people of California in responding to these fires…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 8, 2025
DeSantis is no stranger to responding to natural disasters and helping other states in doing so, as he directed state resources to help North Carolina and Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Helene last year. The Florida governor also called for the Biden administration to assist the recovery efforts of North Carolina, the state that was arguably most affected by the hurricane.
It’s not the first time Florida has lent a hand to California, as DeSantis similarly offered to help the state ahead of Hurricane Hilary making landfall in 2023.
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Amid the wildfires in California, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas assessed how California’s situation is “quite dire” while also thanking the firefighters for their work to slow the spread of the flames.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on Jan. 20, blamed both President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for the “gross incompetence” of the wildfire response. He also suggested that these wildfires could go down as the most expensive “in the History of our Country.”
