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Some long-time Florida residents have become accustomed to annual storms that can shatter and change life in a state best known for its mild weather, sun, and beaches. : Shutterstock
As soon as residents of the Bahia Vista Gulf apartment complex were dug out of Hurricane Helen, they faced the same daunting cleanup from new damage caused by Hurricane Milton.
The beachfront units were demolished and treated in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, and the piles of sand blown from the beach were removed and dried. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton hit and wiped out all the progress.
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The whole process has to start all over again: cleaning, sanitizing, bringing in dryers, preparing everything to dry and renovate, said Bill O’Connell, executive director of the complex, about an hour’s drive south of Venice. he lamented. Tampa. The second hurricane took away all the sand from our property.
Some longtime Florida residents are accustomed to annual storms that can shatter and change life in a state known for its mild weather, sun, and beaches.
That’s the price you pay to live in paradise, O’Connell said. If you want to live here with this view and beautiful sunsets, take a boat ride and enjoy what Florida has to offer, you have to be willing to accept that these storms are coming. ”
The entire state is coming to grips with the effects of an unusual pair of storms so close together, and damage from back-to-back storms is still being tallied. The state is suffering from a fuel shortage, and many residents spent much of Saturday searching for gas, including those who returned home after being evacuated.
President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the Gulf Coast on Sunday.
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm and tore through central Florida, flooding barrier islands and spawning deadly tornadoes that killed at least 10 people. Officials say the toll could have been worse without mass evacuations. Overall, more than 1,000 people were rescued after the storm.
Disaster strikes twice
In Cortez, a fishing village of 4,100 people southwest of Tampa, Katherine Prout said she and her husband, Mark, were in trouble when Hurricane Milton threatened Cortez in the aftermath of Helen, forcing them to suspend cleanup efforts and evacuate. He said he felt pure panic. Fortunately, their home was not damaged by the second storm.
This is where we live, Catherine Prout says of her low-lying home of 36 years, which had to be emptied, gutted and cleaned out after Helen’s death. Ta. I just hope that the insurance company will cooperate.
Residents of the community’s modest one-story wooden and stucco-fronted cottages worked Saturday to remove broken furniture and tree limbs, piling debris onto the street, just as they did during Hurricane Helen.
A similar scene was seen in Steinhatchee, west of Gainesville, where huge piles of debris lined the streets.
Melissa Harden lives less than a block from the restaurant and neighborhood bar that were reduced to rubble. Her house is on a 16-foot (4.9-meter) pile, but it still took in 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water. When Milton was in the forecast, she was worried that Steinhatchee would be hit by its third hurricane in 14 months.
Personally, I thought that if it came, we would have already evacuated and the house would be in a pretty big mess, friends and relatives would help clean up, remove bathroom fixtures, etc. she said as she pulled out the damaged board. Of course we didn’t want that! No more storms!
Moody’s Analytics estimated on Saturday that economic losses from the storm ranged from $50 billion to $85 billion, including more than $70 billion in property damage and up to $15 billion in lost economic output. It will be done.
widespread fuel shortages
In St. Petersburg, crowds of people lined up at stations that ran out of gas on Saturday, hoping for gas to arrive soon. Danielle Thornton and her 9-year-old daughter Magnolia were among those who arrived at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.
He said he was told gas was coming, but he didn’t know when. I don’t have a choice. I have to sit here with her all day until I get gas.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state has opened three fueling locations and plans to open several more. He said each resident will receive 10 gallons (37.8 liters) for free.
Obviously, once power is restored and the Port of Tampa is open, you’ll see fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option, DeSantis said.
Officials refilled area gas stations with state fuel reserves and provided generators to stations that remained without power.
Rising river waters remain a safety threat
As the recovery continues, DeSantis warned people to be cautious, citing continued safety threats such as downed power lines and standing water. About 1.1 million Floridians remained without power Saturday night, according to Poweroutage.us.
“River levels will continue to rise over the next few days, causing flooding primarily around Tampa Bay and to the north,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Close. These areas have experienced the heaviest rains so far, in addition to some wet summers. Hurricane.
There’s nothing you can do but wait, Close said of the river’s crest. At least it’s not raining in the forecast, and it’s not raining heavily. So, here we are taking a break from the rainy weather.
(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 13, 2024 | 10:49 AM IST
