>> WELCOME BACK TO THE NEWS
WRAP RESIDENTS ALONG THE GULF
MOST ARE SURVEYING THE DAMAGE
TODAY AFTER SALLY FLOOD AND THE
REGION LEAVING BEHIND FLOODED
STREETS AND
WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. THE
SLOW-MOVING STORM DUMPED OVER
30 INCHES OF RAIN FROM MOBILE
ALABAMA TO THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE JUST STAY PUT
THIS IN CONTEXT THAT'S THE
EQUIVALENT OF 4 MONTHS. RAIN IN
JUST 4 HOURS.
THE STORM IS NOW MAKING ITS WAY
THROUGH GEORGIA AND THEN
HEADING SOUTH CAROLINA
FOR MORE ON THE CLEANUP EFFORTS
WE'RE JOINED BY DAVID SCHMIDT,
A COUNCILMAN IN FORT WALTON
BEACH FLORIDA DAVID WELCOME TO
THE SHOW. YOU KNOW WE'RE SEEING
THE IMAGES COMING OUT OF YOUR
REGION GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT
THE DESTRUCTION IS LIKE ON THE
GROUND WHERE YOU ARE.
>> A LOT OF
STORM SURGE YOU KNOW WHEN SALLY
WAS SITTING OUT
MOVING AT A PACE OF OF 2 MILES
AN
>> WELL WE KNEW IT AT MID WE'RE
GOING TO BE VERY COOL CERN
ABOUT THE TYPE OF SURGE THAT
WE'RE GOING TO GET AND NOW THAT
WE'RE IN THE DISCOVERY IN THE
ASSESSMENT SHAYS THE SURGE
IS HERE. IT HAS CALM AND NOW
WE'RE TRYING TO PULL TOGETHER
AND STAND TOGETHER AS A
COMMUNITY TO TRY TO GET AS MUCH
DONE AS POSSIBLE A LITTLE BIT
OF TIME.
>> DAVID YOU'RE SO RIGHT THIS
WAS SUCH A SLOW-MOVING STORM
YOU MENTIONED THE STORM SURGE
WHERE SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES
YOU'RE SEEING IN THIS AREA WHAT
ABOUT WINDS AND FLOODING.
>> YEAH GREAT WE HAD WE HAD A
LOT OF TORNADO WARNINGS.
COME ABOUT IN THE WEE HOURS OF
THE OF
THE NIGHT. YOU KNOW THEY NEVER
COME AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE
MORNING OF 12 O'CLOCK IN THE
BUT 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING 4
O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHICH
PUT THAT AT
HIGH ALERT. BUT FORTUNATELY WE
DIDN'T HAVE ANY
DEVASTATING TORNADOES. THE
WINDS, THE WINDS GOT THE WINDS
GOT TO CAT ONE CAT 2 WE HAD
SOME
BEING. THROWN OFF SOME CONDOS
ON ON OKALOOSA ISLAND WE HAD
SOME ROOF DAMAGE IS AN HOUR IN
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS,
YOUR TREES ON TOP OF JUST
TRYING TO CONTINUE DISCOVER
DIFFERENT NEEDS THAT ARE OUT
THERE WITH STAR.
APPROXIMATELY 70 TO 80 ROADS
ARE CLOSED COUNTY WIDE BUT
WE'RE JUST VERY BLESSED AND
FORTUNATE GULF POWER, OUR
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. OUR COUNTY
ARE BUSINESS OWNERS ARE
CHURCHES REALLY DOING A GOOD
JOB OF ALREADY HAVING AN
ORGANIC RELATIONSHIP IN PLACE
SO THAT NOT.
THESE KIND OF THINGS HAPPEN.
BUT WHEN THESE THINGS KIND OF
HAPPEN THEN WE'RE READY TO
COMMUNICATE IN AN ADDRESS WHERE
THE HIGHER NEEDS ARE AND TRY TO
GET THE QUALITY OF LIFE BACK UP
AS QUICK
AS POSSIBLE.
>> YOU MENTIONED YOU ALONG WITH
YOUR CONSTITUENTS KIND OF GOT
THE ALERTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT HOW ARE RESIDENTS IN FORT
WALTON DEALING WITH THE
DESTRUCTION AS THEY WOKE UP
THIS MORNING. YEAH,
YOU KNOW.
>> THIS THIS COMMUNITY SO
STRONG, I MEAN THERE ARE SOME
HIGHER NEEDS AND OTHERS WE HAVE
SOME I WAS JUST GETTING OFF THE
PHONE ABOUT AN HOUR AGO WITH
SOME CONSTITUENTS THAT THEY
DON'T HAVE POWER THERE
>> THE ELEVATORS DON'T WORK.
>> THEY HAVE SOME
RESIDENTS. THAT HAVE SOME THAT
HAVE SOME HIGHER NEEDS THAT ARE
THAT ARE CONCERNS WHERE PUBLIC
SAFETY AND AND OUR HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS ARE ADDRESSING THOSE
AND IN MEETING THOSE NEEDS OF
THOSE INDIVIDUALS WE HAVE SOME
HIGHER NEEDS LIKE THAT AS WELL
AS TO SOME FOLKS THAT
HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN HOMES AND
AND AGAIN PUBLIC SAFETY TO AND
FROM ALL OF THE JOB OF GETTING
OUT THERE AND ACCESSING THEM SO
THAT THEY CAN BE TAKEN
CARE OF. BUT THAT'S WHAT I LOVE
SO MUCH ABOUT THE COMMUNITY.
THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT JUST GETTING
OUT HERE AND IN THE
NEIGHBORHOODS AND FINDING OUT
WHAT THE NEEDS ARE HEARING
ABOUT IT FROM THE COMMUNITY
CLEANING UP THE BUSINESS IS
CLEANING UP THE YARDS.
THE CHURCH IS COMING OUT AND
ADDRESSING THOSE NEEDS AS WELL
AND WORKING WITH THE SCHOOLS
THAT HAD THERE
10. CANOPIES
FOR SHADE ON THE PLAYGROUNDS
THAT WERE BLOWN OFF CHURCH IS
ALREADY ALREADY OUT THERE AND
ADDRESSED AND THOSE SO THAT
THOSE CAN BE REESTABLISHED AND
READY TO GO SO WHEN SCHOOL IS
BACK IN SESSION. YOU KNOW WITH
EVERYTHING ELSE
GOING ON ON WITH THE YOU ADD
THIS TO IT AND IT'S IT'S IT'S
BEEN A TEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY
BUT WE HAVE SUCH
A GREAT COMMUNITY SUCH A STRONG
RESOLVE THAT THERE IS A IT SAYS
THERE
WERE 5.
>> THE DAVID AS WE TALK TO YOU
ARE SEEING THE DESTRUCTION THE
IMAGES COMING OUT OF FLORIDA
AND TERM AND IT'S IT'S VERY
IT'S VERY DAMAGING ITS. WE'RE
WISHING ALL OF YOU THE BEST OF
LUCK HERE IN TERMS OF CLEANUP.
HOW DO YOU THINK HOW LONG DO
YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE YOUR
AREA TO RECOVER.
>> YEAH AND THAT'S AND THAT'S
BEEN ASSESSED AS WE SPEAK AND I
JUST GOT NOTIFICATION A WHILE
AGO AGAIN WE HAVE ABOUT 70 OR
80 ROADS THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTY. THAT ARE SOME STATE
HIGHWAYS, HOW 85 FOR EXAMPLE IN
OKALOOSA COUNTY MAJOR HIGHWAY.
THEY'RE ASSESSING AS WE
POSSIBLY CLOSING DOWN SOME OF
THOSE BRIDGES.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HOW WE
98 GOES IN BETWEEN DESTIN, FORT
WALTON HEIRS,
AN THOSE HAVE BEEN CLOSED DOWN
FOR A PERIOD OF TIME TO BE
ASSESSED
HOPING TO GET THOSE REOPEN
SOON SO A LOT OF A LOT OF ROAD
CLOSURES WHICH WHICH IMPACTS
LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION.
BUT WORKING THROUGH THOSE AS WE
SPEAK THE AMOUNT OF TIME.
I HOPE IT'S SOON
AS POSSIBLE. AGAIN ALL THE
STAKEHOLDERS FROM BOTH POWER TO
CHOCO TO OUR DEFERRED UNTIL
THESE COMPANIES ARE CITIES ARE
COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE
THROUGHOUT THE REGION ARE
WORKING AROUND THE FALK
LITERALLY AROUND THE CLOCK TO
TRY TO GET THOSE BACK RESTORED
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
>> DAVID I HAVE TO ASK ARE YOU
CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBER
OF C STORMS THIS SEASON AND THE
POWERFUL IMPACT AND DESTRUCTION
THAT THEY'RE CAUSING
PARTICULARLY SO LATE THIS
SEASON.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY ANYTIME YOU
SEE MOTHER KNOCKING AT YOUR
YOU KNOW WE DON'T LIKE TO
INVITE THEM BUT WE'RE MAKING
THE
MOST OF I WE ALL CAN THE CHEST
WHETHER YOU'RE SO LONG BEACH
FLORIDA OR NORTH CAROLINA
OR CALIFORNIA. 2020 HAS BEEN A
YEAR THAT WILL REMEMBER
FOREVER. SO WE'RE JUST BRINGING
ON WHATEVER TEST TWENTY-TWENTY
BRINGS US AND MAKING THE MOST
OF IT AND TRYING TO
FIND OUT COMEY GOT A PHENOMENAL
JOB OF TRYING TO FIND THE
SILVER LINING IN EVERYTHING AND
I PERSONALLY HAVE BEEN IMPACTED
BY THE
STORMS AND CORONAVIRUS AND IN
OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN IMPACTED
BY DIFFERENT STORMS IN
CORONAVIRUS AND THIS IS A NEW
THIS IS NOTHING NEW YOU
KNOW SAID RALEIGH FOR THOSE OF
YOU WHO DON'T KNOW SALLY IS A
16 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER OF
HURRICANE IKE. HURRICANE IVAN
HIT PENSACOLA IN
2004. YOU KNOW, SO AGAIN THIS
COMMUNITY IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH
THE STORMS WEATHER PREPARING
FOR OR THE ONES THAT HAVE HIT
US IN THE PAST
IT'S JUST GOING TO MAKE A
STRONGER IT'S GOING TO BRING US
CLOSER TOGETHER THERE'S SO MUCH
JUST DIVIDING US RIGHT NOW IS
COMMUNITIES AS A COUNTRY AS A
WORLD AND THESE TYPE OF THINGS
THE AFTERMATH OF THESE TYPE OF
THINGS BRING NEIGHBORS OUT TO
GET IN THE YARD CHAINSAWS ARE
OUT GENERATORS ARE
BEING SHARED CONVERSATIONS ARE
BEING TAKEN PLACE HOW WE CAN
ADDRESS THE NEEDS AND THAT'S
WHAT WE NEED MORE OF WHILE AT
THE SAME TIME
IT'S UNFORTUNATE. THE DISASTER
IN DIFFERENT THINGS ARE
HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THIS
BUT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE
MOST OF THE PROJECTS CONCERNING
WHEN WE SEE OTHERS ALREADY NEW
SYSTEM OUT THEY HEARD THE
APPROACHING US IN A
FEW DAYS. BRING IT ON YOU KNOW
JIM CANTORE IS COMING HERE
SOMEWHERE ELSE WE'RE READY FOR
WHATEVER CITY FOR WHAT BEACHES
IS VERY STRONG AND THE RESOLVE
IS STRONG
AS WELL.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO WHAT
MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR THE
PEOPLE IN YOUR CITY AS THEY
CLEAN UP FROM ALL THIS DAMAGE
LEFT BEHIND IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
>> WE'LL GROW STRONGER TOGETHER
WE'RE GOING TO
GO STRONG TOGETHER AND THERE'S
A REASON FOR EVERYTHING AND WE
HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT
MATTER WHAT TRAGEDY COMES OUR
WAY THAT THE IMPACTS S
PERSONALLY PROFESSIONALLY
THERE'S A LO