Officials in Florida have reported that the death toll from Hurricane Milton has climbed to at least 16, while millions remain without power as residents face the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.
According to reports, over two million households and businesses are still enduring power outages, and certain regions that fell in the path of this massive storm are still experiencing flooding.
Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned, “There are places where water levels continue to rise.” He noted, however, that while the storm was “significant,” it was “thankfully not the worst-case scenario.”
During a White House briefing, President Joe Biden mentioned that experts have estimated the storm damage cost to be around $50 billion.
In light of concerns regarding the sufficiency of federal funding for disaster response, the president urged Congress to “step up” its support, especially for small businesses severely impacted by the storm.
The agency responsible for lending to these businesses and families indicated that it is feeling overwhelmed by this disaster and others, and that it is running low on funds.
Fallen trees and debris litter the streets in parts of Florida.
Former President Donald Trump has inaccurately asserted that the Biden-Harris administration redirected hurricane relief funds to support migrants, drawing criticism even from some Republican leaders.
When asked if Mr. Trump was solely responsible for the spread of dangerous misinformation, Mr. Biden replied, “No… but he has the biggest mouth.”
Finding hope in the midst of destruction
On Siesta Key, an idyllic barrier island near Sarasota where the storm made landfall, Milton left behind a starkly desolate landscape.
Some streets remained flooded yesterday. Fallen trees and debris—including sofas, beds, chairs, and appliances, much left behind by Helene—were scattered chaotically along the roads.
“It’s just terrible,” said John Maloney, 61, the owner of a home remodeling company, as he cleared tree limbs from a house near the shore where he was working. “But I believe we will rebuild.”
Many of the storm’s fatalities resulted from tornadoes rather than floodwaters.
At least six individuals were killed in St. Lucie County, four in Volusia County, two in Pinellas County, and one each in Hillsborough, Polk, Orange, and Citrus counties, according to officials.
The storm knocked down power lines, tore off the roof of the Tampa baseball stadium, and flooded homes.
In Sarasota, approximately 100 vehicles queued up for fuel at one of the few gas stations that remained operational. Others waited patiently in line on foot, carrying jerry cans.
“We heard they had fuel here, so we came, and apparently so did everyone else,” remarked resident Dave Stone.
Historic tornado warnings
The Small Business Administration, a government entity that provides loans to individuals and businesses affected by disasters, revealed it is currently accommodating victims from 36 different catastrophes and is depleting its funds, according to its administrator Isabel Casillas in an interview with CNN.
“We’re down to a matter of days,” Ms. Casillas indicated.
Tornadoes, rather than floodwaters, were the leading cause of many fatalities during the storm.
The National Weather Service issued a record-breaking 126 tornado warnings throughout the state on Wednesday, noted hurricane expert Michael Lowry.
Search and rescue operations continued, with Mr. DeSantis reporting that 1,600 individuals had been successfully evacuated, and the Coast Guard sharing details of a dramatic rescue of a boat captain who weathered the storm 48 kilometers offshore by clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico.
Experts have pointed out that human-induced climate change intensified Hurricane Milton, making it wetter and windier.
A report from the World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists indicated that what could have been a Category 2 storm instead developed into a more damaging Category 3 on a five-point scale.
Read more: Hurricane season brings storm of disinformation
