WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg says the federal agency is in "assessment mode" in the wake of the catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. A big undertaking: checking the safety and quality of roads and bridges. 

What You Need To Know

  • In an interview with Spectrum News Monday evening, Department of Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg said about 190 bridge inspections are underway in Florida following Hurricane Helene

  • In addition to road and bridge assessments, the Federal Aviation Administration, which falls under the DOT has been putting temporary flight restrictions in place in impacted states to make sure emergency operations are not obstructed

  • Buttigieg says he left Gov. Ron DeSantis a message expressing that the DOT is there to help

Buttigieg says about 190 bridge inspections are underway in Florida alone, and that DOT workers are on the ground in impacted communities working hand-in-hand with their state and local counterparts. 

“I was glad to see some major bridges like the Sunshine Skyway up and running and good to go. But, there are many of those smaller systems, what we call ‘off system bridges,’ that are very important for the communities they serve. We want to make sure that we have all the right information and that they’re good to go,” Buttigieg said. 

Buttigieg says even if a structure appears safe, it could be compromised by mudslides, landslides or floodwaters. 

The Federal Aviation Administration, which falls under the DOT has also been putting temporary flight restrictions in place in affected states to make sure emergency response operations are not obstructed, “making sure people aren’t flying drones to get images out of curiosity when that could get in the way of other operations,” Buttigieg said.

While there’s been no hurricane damage cost estimate yet, Buttigieg says the next phase for the DOT will be ensuring federal dollars go to reconstruction projects. But, he says any long-term funding will need to come from Congress. 

“We have enough funding for the emergency relief, what’s called ‘quick release dollars,’ the requests we expect to get in the immediate next few days and weeks. We have reserves to help cover that. But, as you look further around... the reality is, at least in terms of getting the reimbursements through, it could be years of work that needs to be done. I just don’t see how we can get that done without help from Congress,” he said. 

Buttigieg says he hopes to visit communities hit by the storm, but wants to be sensitive to work currently going on the ground. He also says he left Governor Ron DeSantis a message expressing that the DOT is there to help.