By Michael Moline | Editor in Chief
“Fortunately, they weren’t needed for a lot of rescue missions, ’cause that demand wasn’t there, but they’ve already cleared 1,700 miles of roadway, distributed more than 4,000 cases of water, 1,700 meals, 2,600 bags of ice, and 2,200 tarps, and [are] conducting more than 20 flight hours, supporting search and rescue operations and damage assessments.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis on the National Guard’s contribution to hurricane recovery
A resident of a storm-damaged apartment complex unloads his shovel on a pile of trash while cleaning out his apartment in Pensacola Beach several days after the landfall of Hurricane Isaias on October 11, 2026. (Dan Anderson for Alabama Reflector)
Utility workers are edging closer to full power restoration post Isaias, helped by state and local government workers and National Guard members clearing downed trees. The state is opening emergency points of distribution, or PODs, across the region, providing emergency supplies including bottled water, shelf-stable food, and other essential supplies to residents who suffered damage. Business recovery loans are available through the state, and farmers, ranchers, and growers in areas that suffered Isaias damage can apply for loans of up to $500,000 for repairs to infrastructure through the state’s Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program.
Prominent Black Democrats James Clyburn and Al Lawson were in Florida to boost David Jolly’s campaign against Republican Byron Donalds, who hopes to become Florida’s first Black governor. “I don’t squabble with the reach for history. That’s not my place to do. I do squabble with the agenda and the platform, and I think Byron has a hard time justifying his candidacy to a lot of communities, including the Black community,” Jolly said.
“Unlike most death row inmates, Robertson has never challenged his death sentence. That’s prompted an anti-death penalty advocacy group to argue his behavior challenges the ‘misconception’ that the death penalty deters crime,” Mitch Perry reports. Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty argue the phenomenon of an individual committing a crime with the goal of being executed is not rare. It’s called “homicide as suicide.”
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