Bill Nelson: “we have had a severe act of Mother Nature in Florida and a number of other Southeastern States, where skies of Biblical…”

“we have had a severe act of Mother Nature in Florida and a number of other Southeastern States, where skies of Biblical proportions in dumping rain have occurred. In Pensacola, FL, there was close to 25 inches of rain that fell within a 24-hour period. The counties of Escambia and Santa Rosa in Florida were particularly hard hit, and just today the Governor of Florida requested a major disaster declaration from the President and sought assistance for that part of Florida. I passed along the Governor's request to the White House and asked that it be approved as soon as possible. Right now the State of Florida government and local governments as well are assisting people in need, and they are surveying the damage to assess the extent of the storm's impact. We are going to do everything we can to make sure the people have the assistance and the help they need during this very difficult time. Of course, it was not just in Florida that these storms hit; it was a number of States--Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia. As the storm proceeded on upwards, it occurred in a lot of the Southeastern United States. But particularly those States plus ours, in northwest Florida, is where it really hit the hardest. Many people have worked around the clock to save lives and to provide support in the immediate aftermath of the storm.…”