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Residents of the Bahia Vista Bay condo faced the same horrific cleanup caused by fresh damage from Hurricane Milton before they emerged from Hurricane Helen.
The beachfront units were demolished, treated and dried after Hurricane Helen and the sand dunes were removed from the beach. Then, less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton halted and canceled all progress.
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They have to start the whole process, cleaning, sanitizing, bringing in drying equipment, drying everything and getting it ready for renovation, lamented Bill O'Connell, a board member at the complex in Venice, about an hour's drive south. Cover. The second hurricane brought all the sand back onto our property.
Some longtime Floridians have become accustomed to the annual cycle of storms that can destroy life in a state known primarily for its mild weather, sunshine and beaches.
That's the price you pay to live in heaven, says O'Connell. If you want to live here with this view, a beautiful sunset, being able to go out on a boat, enjoying everything Florida has to offer, you have to accept that this storm is coming.”
The extent of the devastation caused by the back-to-back storms is still being tallied, as an unusual double storm so close together left a portion of the state riddled with damage. Many residents, some evacuated and returning home, spent much of Saturday searching for gasoline as fuel shortages gripped the state.
President Joe Biden planned to visit the Gulf Coast on Sunday.
At least 10 people died after Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, devastating central Florida, flooding barrier islands and spawning deadly tornadoes. Authorities say the toll could have been worse if the mass evacuation had not been carried out. In total, more than 1,000 people were rescued from the storm.
Disaster happens twice
In the fishing village of Cortez, a community of 4,100 people southwest of Tampa, Catherine Prout said she and her husband, Mark, felt pure panic when Hurricane Milton scared Cortez, forcing him to stop cleaning and evacuate shortly afterward. from Helen. Fortunately, their home was not damaged in the second storm.
This is where we live, said Catherine Prout of her humble home of 36 years that had to be emptied, gutted and gutted after Helen. We are just hopeful that we can get the insurance company to help us.
Residents of the community's modest wood and stucco cottages were working Saturday to remove broken furniture and tree limbs, piling up debris in the streets, just as Hurricane Helen did.
A similar scene could be found in Steinhatch, west of Gainesville, where the road was littered with large piles of debris.
Melissa Harden lives less than a block from a neighborhood restaurant and bar that was reduced to rubble. His house is supported on 4.9 m (16 ft) piles, but 1.2 m (4 ft) of water is still flooded. When Milton made the prediction, he feared that Steinhatachi would be hit by a third hurricane within 14 months.
Personally, I thought, if that's the case, we've already moved in and our house is pretty messy, she said, while friends and relatives helped clean up, removing sanitary ware and ripping out damaged floorboards. Of course we didn't want to! No more storms!
Moody's Analytics on Saturday estimated the economic costs of the storm at between $50 billion and $85 billion, including $70 billion in property damage and up to $15 billion in lost economic output.
Great fuel shortage
In St. Petersburg, many people lined up on Saturday at a station without gas, hoping it would arrive soon. Among them was Daniel Thornton and his 9-year-old daughter Magnolia, who arrived at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.
They told me there was gas coming, but they didn't know when it would get here, he said. I have no choice. I have to sit here all day until I get gas.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state has opened three fuel distribution sites and plans to open several more. Residents can get 10 gallons (37.8 liters) for free, he said.
Obviously, when power is restored… and the Port of Tampa is open, you will see fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option, DeSantis said.
Authorities were resupplying gas stations in the region with state fuel reserves and providing generators to stations without power.
Rising rivers are among the remaining security threats
As the recovery continues, DeSantis warned people to be vigilant, citing ongoing safety threats including downed power lines and standing water. About 1.1 million Floridians were without power Saturday night, according to poweroutages.us.
National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Close said rivers will continue to rise in the coming days “and will cause flooding, particularly in Tampa Bay and the north. These areas were hit hardest by the rain, which comes on top of a wet summer that previously included several hurricanes.
There's not much you can do except wait, Close said of Riverhead. At least there is no rain forecast, no significant rain. So here's a break from all our rainy weather.
(Only the title and image for this report may have been reworked by the Business Standards team; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a distributed feed.)
