Sen. Rick Scott traveling to Pensacola amid Sally impacts

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -- As Sally strikes the Florida Panhandle, Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is planning to travel to Pensacola and join the U.S. Coast Guard for an aerial tour of the storm’s impacts on the region.

“All the elected are going to work hard to get the state back to normal as quickly as they can, but I hope everybody stays safe,” said Scott.

A spokeswoman confirms Scott plans to receive a briefing from local emergency management officials on recovery efforts and “ensure they have the support and resources needed from the federal government,” according to his office.

“I’m really worried about all the families that have been impacted. I’ve been talking to mayors, sheriffs, port directors about any needs they have, now you worry about the aftereffects," said Scott.

Scott reminds Florida residents to continue monitoring local news and weather reports as they have the most up-to-date information on public safety information. He also urges residents to stay off the beaches, avoid driving into flooding and to be careful using generators.

Power outages, flooding and downed power lines remain a top public safety concern, according to Florida leaders.

The storm comes as neighborhoods and officials grapple with managing multiple challenges at once, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic damages of the virus.

For the Panama City community, some residents had just moved back into their homes after Hurricane Michael displaced families nearly two years ago.

“Your heart goes out to them,” said Scott. “This is a tough year.”

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