>> Brian: THANKS SO MUCH.
THOSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NEED
FINANCIAL HELP, WHICH BRINGS US
TO OUR NEXT GUEST.
>> Ainsley: LET’S BRING IN
CASEY DeSANTIS, THE FIRST LADY
OF FLORIDA.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING?
>> Ainsley: WE ARE GOOD,
PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU IN
FLORIDA.
WE SAW YOUR HUSBAND AT THE
PODIUM AND YOU WERE BEHIND HIM.
SOMETHING HE STEPPED ASIDE,
SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T REGULARLY
SEEN HIM DO IN THE LAST THREE
YEARS.
HE CAME TO THE PODIUM AND TALKED
ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR
DISASTER RELIEF.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE,
BECAUSE OUR FAMILY AS A TEAM
HELPING ALL OF OUR FLORIDA
FAMILIES, AS WELL.
HOW MUCH HAVE YOU RAISED AND HOW
CAN WE HELP?
>> THANK YOU FOR OFFERING HELP.
WE HAVE RAISED $12 MILLION.
WE LAUNCH THIS FUND JUST ABOUT
24 HOURS AGO.
PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
ARE STEPPING UP LIKE WE WOULDN’T
BELIEVE.
I WANT TO TELL YOU THESE FUNDS
ARE BEING USED TO SUPPLEMENT
WITH THE STATE IS DOING, AND WE
ARE USHERING IN AND MUSCLING
THOSE RESOURCES LIKE YOU
WOULDN’T BELIEVE.
THESE TRUCKS ARE CHOCK-FULL OF
WATER, FOOD, AND SUPPLIES.
WE HAVE TWO DISTRIBUTION POINTS
AS WE SPEAK GOING OUT WITH THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING THE FOOD AND
SUPPLIES WE NEED.
WE ARE WORKING QUICKLY TO ENSURE
THEY HAVE THAT.
BUT GOING FORWARD, WITH THIS
FUND, WHAT WE HOPE WE WILL DO IS
HELP PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST
EVERYTHING.
THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE TO TURN,
PERHAPS INSURANCE DOESN’T COVER
SOMETHING FOR THEM.
THESE FUNDS COULD HELP PREPARE
ROOFS AND OTHER THINGS AND HELP
THEM GET BACK ON THEIR FEET,
BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE WITH
THE PEOPLE IN FLORIDA FOR AS
LONG AS IT TAKES FOR THEM TO GET
THEIR LIVES BACK, BECAUSE THEY
ARE GOING THROUGH HELL, FRANKLY.
>> WHAT IS IT LIKE TO TRY AND
WRAP YOUR ARMS AROUND SOMETHING
SO BIG, SO CATASTROPHIC, SO
HUMAN FOR SO MANY PEOPLE?
YOU LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOODS
COMPLETELY GONE.
THE QUESTION IS, DO I REBUILD AT
ALL?
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THAT KIND OF
PROBLEM?
>> WELL, IT’S ONE OF THOSE
THINGS, WE SEE FIRSTHAND -- WE
ARE FLYING OVER, THE GOVERNOR
AND MYSELF, THE AFFECTED AREAS
AND FORT MYERS BEACH.
YOU JUST HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT,
THERE’S NOTHING LEFT IN A LOT OF
THE SPOTS OTHER THAN A SLAB OF
CONCRETE, AND THERE’S NOTHING
LEFT FOR THESE PEOPLE.
THEY’RE NOT SURE WHAT THEY WILL
RETURN TO YOU.
THAT’S WHY WE WANT TO BE THERE
FOR THE LONG HAUL.
AS FAR AS OMISSION IS CONCERNED,
WE ARE MUSCLING IN THOSE
RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE
THE FOOD, THE WATER, THE
BLANKETS, TARPS.
I WILL SAY THIS, OTHER PARTS OF
THE STATE, PARTICULARLY SOUTHERN
CHARLIE COUNTY, HE SAW DAMAGE
BUT HONESTLY IT WASN’T AS BAD AS
IT WE HAD ANTICIPATED.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE
FLOODING.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THERE AREN’T
NEEDS OR THAT THEY AREN’T
HURTING.
THEY STILL HAVE ROOFS THAT NEED
TO BE REPAIRED.
WE HAVE 100,000 TARPS BEING
DEPLOYED SO WE ARE ABLE TO HELP
THEM IN THE IMMEDIACY.
BUT IT’S A HUGE OPERATION TO BE
ABLE TO WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND.
WE HAVE BEEN PREPARING FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING.
THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THOSE 300
TRACTOR-TRAILERS FULL OF
SUPPLIES THAT ARE BEING DEPLOYED
AS WE SPEAK.
WE HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF FIRST RESPONSES ON THE GROUND
AND SHARING PEOPLE ARE SAFE AND
SECURE.
THEY ARE GOING HOUSE TO HOUSE,
THEY ARE GOING TO GO BACK IN
TODAY AS THEY BEEN ACTUALLY
DOING ALL NIGHT TO SEE WHAT THE
NEEDS ARE, AND AGAIN, THIS FUND
WILL HELP SUPPLEMENT THE STATE
EFFORTS.
ONE OF THE NICE THINGS ABOUT
HAVING THIS FUND HERE, THE
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, WE
CAN SEE THE NEEDS COMING IN.
IF THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO
EXPEDITIOUSLY FROM A PRIVATE
SECTOR COMPONENT, WE CAN DEPLOY
IT IMMEDIATELY.
SO IT IS WORKING IN TANDEM WITH
THE STATE, AND JUST MAKING SURE
WE DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO
HELP GOOD PEOPLE IN NEED.
>> Brian: I REMEMBER WITH
SANDY, FEMA SET UP TENTS AND
NEIGHBORHOODS OF PEOPLE KNEW
WHERE TO GO.
I THINK THE MOST HE HAD TO DRIVE
WAS 10 MILES.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE
PLANNED.
I DON’T KNOW IN DETAIL ALL THE
TOWNS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU’RE IN
FORT MYERS IN YOUR HOME IS
DESTROYED, ONE OF THE THINGS HE
HAS BEEN SAID IS YOU DON’T HAVE
TO LEAVE THE STATE.
FOR THE MOST PART, IF PEOPLE
LISTENING HAVE A RELATIVE AND
WANT TO COME BACK, WHERE SHOULD
THEY GO IF THEY CAN GO HOME?
>> THAT’S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WE ARE CONTACTING THIS PEOPLE
OUT OF STATE AND GIVING THEM
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
I THINK THEY WOULD SAY RIGHT NOW
IT’S NOT GOOD TO GO BACK TO THE
AREA BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL
GOING HOME TO HOME AND TRYING TO
SAVE PEOPLE THAT NEED IMMEDIATE
HELP.
THE RESCUE MISSION IS GOING ON
AS WE SPEAK.
BUT AS FAR AS GETTING HELP THE
FOLKS THAT ARE THERE, YOU TALK
ABOUT THOSE DISTRIBUTION POINTS,
THAT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO GO. WE HAVE ONE IN LEE COUNTY, THE
WE HAVE ONE IN LEE COUNTY, THE
SPORTS COMPLEX, 14100 PARKWAY,
AND THE NATIONAL GUARD IS ON THE
GROUND IN FULL FORCE IN ADDITION
TO TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF FIRST RESPONDERS AND A
BEGINNING THOSE RESOURCES OUT TO
PEOPLE IN NEED.
THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS IS GOING
TO BE GETTING INTO THE FOOD
KITCHENS AND TO GET HOT MEALS.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT FOOD TRUCKS
GOING TO BE AFFECTED AREAS,
LEE COUNTY, NORTHERN PARTS OF
COLLIER COUNTY, SOUTHERN PARTS
OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY, AND THAT
WAY THEY HAVE FOOD AND WARM
MEALS AND CAN HELP SUPPLEMENT
THEM FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS
AFTER WE GET PAST THE
DISTRIBUTION POINTS.
>> Brian: BY THE WAY,
TOM BRADY ALREADY DONATED THAT,
HE TWEETING OUT, IN SUPPORT OF
THE FUN YOU PUT TOGETHER.
SO GO AHEAD AND CONTRIBUTE AND
HELP FLORIDIANS AFFECTED BY
HURRICANE IAN.
VISIT
FloridaDisasterFund.org, .
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYERS AND
ALL THE HELP, AND THANK YOU TO
PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR
DONATING.
I CAN ENSURE THIS, WE ARE
REMOVING THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE
RED TAPE SO THE RESOURCES GET TO
THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT QUICKLY.
SO GOD BLESS YOU.
>> Ainsley: IT’S AT THE BOTTOM
OF OUR SCREEN,
FloridaDisasterFund.org.
POSTED BY KNOW IT MEANS A LOT TO
THE FAMILIES TO SEE YOU OUT ON
THE STREETS AND GOING TO ASSESS
THE DAMAGES FIRSTHAND.
YOU WERE IN TELEVISION AND NOW
YOU ARE MARRIED TO THE GOVERNOR,
RAISING YOUR KIDS IN FLORIDA,