Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday declared a state of emergency in response to the war between Israel and Hamas, with his office saying the declaration allows the Florida Division of Emergency Management to "bring Floridians home and transport necessary supplies to Israel."
The DeSantis declaration came as the federal government said it is arranging charter flights to transport Americans. Some commercial airlines have halted service to Israel amid the escalating war that started Saturday with Hamas' surprise attack on Israel.
DeSantis' order, in part, called for activation of the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard as needed. It also directed Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to carry out a state emergency-management plan and "other response, recovery and mitigation plans necessary to cope with the emergency, including any logistical, rescue or evacuation operations."
