Officials clear roads, perform welfare checks after Helene [Video]

TAMPA, Fla. — As damage assessments continued after Hurricane Helene slammed the Florida coast, thousands of state officials and law enforcement officers quickly began working to clear roads and check in with storm victims in rural areas. 

More than 12,000 miles of roads have been cleared by more than 800 Florida Department of Transportation crews. The crews are made up of 2,100 department team leaders working directly on storm response, according to a press release from Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office. 

61 “cut and toss” crews cleared I-10 in under 6 hours of the storm making landfall, the statement said. 129 bridge inspectors have cleared 1,400 bridges in the affected areas.

Along with the FDOT, 1,400 Florida National Guard service members were activated and have rescued 149 people and 55 animals, according to the governor’s office. 

The Florida State Guard is assisting with clearing roads …