 "Hurricane Helen, Hurricane Helen")
Milton arrived just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helen, which flooded a barrier island, tore off the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball stadium and overturned a construction crane. Representative (Photo: PTI)
Florida residents trudged through flooded roads Friday to collect scattered debris and assess damage to their homes after Hurricane Milton ripped through coastal areas and unleashed a string of deadly tornadoes.
At least 10 people were killed and rescuers continued to pull people from the swollen river, but many expressed relief that the situation in Milton had not worsened. The hurricane missed the heavily populated area of Tampa, and the deadly storm surge that scientists had feared never materialized.
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But Gov. Ron DeSantis warned people not to let their guard down, citing continuing safety threats, including downed power lines and standing water that could hide dangerous objects.
DeSantis said we are now in an era of preventable deaths. You have to make good decisions and know that there are risks.
As of Friday night, the number of customers still without power in Florida had fallen to 1.9 million, according to poweroutage.us. St. Petersburg’s 260,000 residents have been told to boil water before drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth until at least Monday.
Also Friday, the owner of a major phosphate mine revealed that pollutants leaked into Tampa Bay during the hurricane.
Mosaic said in a statement that heavy rains from the storm overwhelmed the collection system at its Riverview location, forcing excess water through manholes and into drainage channels leading to the bay. The company announced Thursday that the breach had been fixed.
Mosaic said the spill likely exceeded the minimum reporting standard of 17,500 gallons, but declined to say how much the total amount would be.
Calls and emails sent to Mosaic seeking additional information about Riverview and the company’s other Florida mines went unanswered, as did a voicemail left with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The state has 25 such stacks, containing more than 1 billion tons of phosphogypsum. Phosphogypsum is a solid waste byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer mining industry and contains radium, which decomposes to form radon gas. Both radium and radon are radioactive and can cause cancer. Phosphorgypsum can also contain toxic heavy metals and other carcinogens, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and nickel.
Meanwhile, Florida’s vital tourism industry is beginning to return to normal as Walt Disney World and other theme parks reopen. Orlando Airport, the state’s busiest, resumed full operations Friday.
Milton arrived just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helen, which flooded a barrier island, tore off the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium and knocked over a construction crane.
On Friday, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office crews were helping rescue people, including a 92-year-old woman, who was stranded in rising waters along the Alafia River. The river is 40 km (25 miles) long and flows east of Tampa from eastern Hillsborough County to Tampa Bay.
In Pinellas County, deputies used high-water trucks to transport residents to and from their homes in flooded Palm Harbor neighborhoods where water levels continued to rise.
Ashley Cabrera set out with her sons, ages 18 and 11, and three dogs: Eeyore, Poe and Molly. It was the first time they had been able to leave the neighborhood since the Milton attack, and they were now heading to a hotel in Orlando.
Cabrera said she’s grateful to be able to go outside now and go somewhere on the weekends to get a hot meal and gas. I thought I would be able to escape as soon as the storm passed. These roads have never been so flooded in all the time I’ve lived here.
Animals were also saved. Cindy Evers helped rescue a large pig stuck in high water at a shopping mall in Lithia, east of Tampa. She had already rescued a donkey and several goats after the storm.
Mr Evers said his location was high and dry and had a barn and nine acres of land, adding that he would soon start working to find homes for the animals.
In the Gulf Coast city of Venice, Milton left several feet of sand in some beachfront condominiums, but one unit was nearly full. The pool was filled with sand, with only the handrails sticking out.
Some warnings were heeded and lessons learned. Last month’s Hurricane Helen flooded Punta Gorda with 8 feet (2.4 meters) of seawater and 121 people had to be rescued, Mayor Lynn Matthews said. Milton brought at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water, but rescuers only had to save three people.
So people heeded evacuation orders, Matthews said.
Matt Joyner of the industry group Florida Citrus Mutual said Friday that Milton and Hurricane Helen hit Polk County and other orange-growing areas, scattering piles of fruit on the ground and toppling trees.
Milton arrived at the beginning of the orange growing season, so it is still too early to assess the full extent of the damage.
Orange production has already been declining in Florida for years, and the industry continues to recover from hurricanes several years ago while also battling deadly greening disease. Mr Joyce said Milton could be the clincher for some producers.
Kelvin Glenn of the West Coast city of Clearwater said it took less than an hour for the water to reach his waist in his apartment early Thursday morning. He and seven other children, ranging in age from 3 to 16, were trapped in the dirty brown floodwaters for about three hours until their upstairs neighbors opened their home to them.
(Only the headline and photo in this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication date: October 12, 2024 | 8:56 AM IST
