(DCNF)—Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a history lesson about hurricanes in Florida to a reporter who attempted to link Hurricane Milton to climate change during a Thursday press conference.
A reporter asked DeSantis about how many storms throughout history have formed “as rapidly” as Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which both caused mass flooding and high winds throughout Florida. DeSantis pointed to a series of hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004 and in the 1940’s.
“Speaking of history, sir, how many storms formed as rapidly as they have between Helene and Milton?” a reporter asked.
“Oh, I think most people remember 2004 where it seemed like you had them every other week in 2004,” DeSantis said. “Then there’s also time periods, you know, we had from 2006 to ’16, we had no hurricanes at all in Florida. There’s also been times where we had a lot. The 1940s, we were getting hit a lot. Now more recently, we’ve had a spade of more. So that’s just kind of the nature of it. But this really does have a lot of similarities to 2004 in terms of the season.”
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Nine tropical storms affected the U.S. in 2004, with five hitting Florida in just a six-week time span, according to the National Weather Service. Two storms, Frances and Jeanne, made landfall just 2 miles apart with three weeks between them.
Some liberals, including Bill Nye and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, blamed climate change and the rise in temperatures for Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Since 1851, 28 named hurricanes have made landfall in Southwest Florida, with 7 of them being Category 3 or higher, according to ABC 7.
Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm with a devastating 120 mph sustained winds and high gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has caused mass flooding in several communities in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg areas and has left over 3 million residents without power.
At least ten people have been confirmed dead in the storm’s aftermath, with 5 being confirmed in St. Lucie County on the Atlantic coast, according to NBC News.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September, making its way across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The death toll recently added up to at least 227 as authorities continued their search through communities devastated by the storm, according to The Associated Press.