Hurricane Milton: Florida residents repair homes, clean up after storm

Florida residents repaired harm from Hurricane Milton and cleaned up debris Friday aft the tempest smashed done coastal communities and tore homes to pieces, flooded streets and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.

At slightest 8 radical were dead, but galore expressed alleviation that Milton wasn’t worse. The hurricane spared densely populated Tampa a nonstop hit, and the lethal tempest surge that scientists feared ne'er materialized.

Arriving conscionable 2 weeks aft the devastating Hurricane Helene, the strategy flooded obstruction islands, tore the extortion disconnected the Tampa Bay Rays ‘ shot stadium and toppled a operation crane.

As residents assessed harm to their property, implicit 2.5 cardinal customers successful Florida remained without powerfulness Friday morning, according to poweroutage.us. But the state’s captious tourism manufacture started to instrumentality to normal, with respective taxable parks preparing to reopen.

A flood of vehicles headed southbound Thursday evening connected Interstate 75, the main road that runs done the mediate of the state, arsenic alleviation workers and evacuated residents returned to measure the aftermath. Bucket trucks and substance tankers streamed by, on with portable bath trailers and a convoy of exigency vehicles.

As residents raced backmost to find retired whether their homes were destroyed oregon spared, uncovering state was inactive a challenge. Fuel stations were inactive closed arsenic acold distant arsenic Ocala, much than a 2 and a fractional hr thrust northbound of wherever the tempest made landfall arsenic a Category 3 adjacent Siesta Key successful Sarasota County connected Wednesday night.

Natasha Ducre and her husband, Terry, were conscionable feeling fortunate to beryllium alive. Milton peeled the tin extortion disconnected of their cinderblock location successful their vicinity a fewer blocks northbound of the Manatee River, astir a 45-minute thrust southbound of Tampa. She pushed to permission arsenic the tempest barreled toward them Wednesday nighttime aft helium resisted evacuating their three-bedroom location wherever helium grew up and wherever the mates lived with their 3 kids and 2 grandchildren. She believes the determination saved their lives.

They returned to find the extortion of their location scattered successful sheets crossed the street, the woody beams of what was their ceiling exposed to the sky. Inside, fiberglass insulation hung down successful shreds, their belongings soaked by the rainfall and littered with chunks of shattered drywall.

“It ain’t much, but it was ours. What small spot we did person is gone,” she said. “It’s gone.”

Trending Now

With shelters nary longer disposable and the outgo of a edifice country retired of reach, they program to cram into Terry Ducre’s mother’s location for now. After that, they’re not sure.

“I don’t person nary answers,” Natasha Ducre said. “What is my adjacent move? What americium I going to do?”

Meanwhile, Florida taxable parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld planned to reopen Friday aft an appraisal of the effects of the storm.

Orlando International Airport, the state’s busiest, said departures for home flights and planetary flights would resume Friday, aft resuming home arrivals Thursday evening. The airdrome had insignificant damage, including a fewer leaks and downed trees.

Milton prevented Simon Forster, his woman and their 2 children from returning to Scotland arsenic planned Wednesday evening, truthful they enjoyed an other 2 days of their two-week abrogation connected a bustling International Drive successful Orlando’s tourism territory connected Thursday. Hurricanes look to travel them since 2022’s Hurricane Ian kept them from returning to Scotland aft different Orlando vacation.

“Two other days here, determination are worse places we could be,” helium said.

Payne and Daley reported from Palmetto, Florida. Associated Press journalists Holly Ramer and Kathy McCormack successful New Hampshire; Terry Spencer successful Matlacha, Florida; Stephany Matat successful Fort Pierce, Florida; Freida Frisaro successful Fort Lauderdale; Michael Goldberg successful Minneapolis; and Jeff Martin successful Atlanta contributed to this report.