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    • Hurricane Milton recovery is underway in Florida on Saturday
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    Hurricane Milton recovery is underway in Florida on Saturday

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Cleanup efforts from Hurricane Milton's devastation progressed slowly Saturday, with roads still impassable in some counties, resources scarce for some evacuees heading home and power being restored only gradually.

    Milton hit Florida on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane and raced east across the state, causing devastating damage before crossing into the Atlantic. Although the Tampa Bay area was spared from a potentially catastrophic storm surge, Milton's fierce winds and rains left destruction in its path and triggered deadly tornadoes far from making landfall. Officials said at least 17 people were killed across Florida. Reports of damage are still coming in.

    The White House announced Saturday that President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration Friday in Florida that will unlock federal funding for people affected by Milton in more than half of the state's counties. These include grants for temporary housing, home repairs and loans, the White House said.

    Areas that had only just recovered from Hurricane Helene were once again plunged into chaos. Across the state, around 1.5 million households and businesses remained without power on Saturday morning, up from more than 2 million the day before. Those still in the dark looked for ice – a resource that is hard to come by – to save the food in their refrigerators.

    In Tampa, Sarasota and St. Petersburg, residents hoped a major gasoline shortage in the region would ease after Milton over the weekend with the promise of fuel deliveries and the reopening of ports. One gas station after another, with gas pumps wrapped in trash bags, greeted people with needles who were already on the east side. Lines of cars stretched nearly 2 miles down the road at the rare gas station.

    Some of the state's tourist hubs, including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, reopened Friday, as did Port Canaveral for cruise and cargo traffic.

    On Saturday, officials in Flagler County on the state's eastern coast urged its more than 130,000 residents to stay off the roads and minimize the use of running water for emergencies simply because wastewater treatment plants were at capacity. The Florida Air National Guard returned there on Saturday to distribute prepared meals.

    “Avoid downed power lines and flooded or debris-laden areas where downed lines could be hidden,” the county said in an update — the advice was shared with residents across the state.

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    Tornadoes, winds and flooding: Milton brought widespread destruction

    The damage from Milton extended far beyond the original landing. It hit near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. The site of impact briefly caused a “reverse” storm surge and sucked water out of Tampa Bay, averting feared deadly storm surge that could have hit the populated area.

    Still, strong winds toppled a huge crane into a downtown building and destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

    As Milton swept through the state, winds were blowing at about 100 miles per hour over 30 miles from the west coast. Tornadoes were confirmed as the storm moved east. At Melbourne Orlando International Airport, strong winds ripped a huge 30-by-40-foot hole through the roof.

    Much of Polk County remained underwater. In Lake County, flooding in Milton caused nearly 2 million gallons of wastewater to spill from a wastewater treatment plant in Leesburg. Elsewhere in the state, fallen trees and power lines blocked roads, winds and flooding swept away vehicles and boats, and huge sinkholes opened.

    The tornadoes destroyed buildings and killed several people. In Brevard County, the roof of a Wells Fargo blew off and a Supercuts was destroyed.

    At least 17 dead in the storm

    At least 17 people have been confirmed to have died in connection with Milton. The deaths occurred in St. Lucie, Volusia, Pinellas and Citrus counties, among others.

    At least six people died as tornadoes sparked by Milton ripped through St. Lucie County, with the Spanish Lakes County Club Village hit particularly hard.

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    Some died when trees fell on their vehicles or homes, including a 79-year-old woman in Ormond Beach and a 54-year-old woman in Port Orange, both in Volusia County. Another person in Volusia died in a medical emergency when the storm prevented an immediate response.

    In Hillsborough County, a woman was killed by a falling tree branch while she was working outside on her property. An Orange County man died as a result of the storm when he stepped on a downed power line Thursday evening.

    Read more about the victims of Hurricane Milton.

    How much will Milton's damage cost?

    Initial estimates suggest damage caused by Hurricane Milton could total $50 billion, Biden said Friday. But the total cost of property damage and economic losses could exceed $160 billion, according to an AccuWeather estimate that takes into account impacts such as long-term health care costs for survivors and disruption to businesses and industries.

    “Milton will go down as one of the most devastating and devastating storms in Florida history, along with Hurricane Helene, which just two weeks ago caused an estimated total damage and economic loss of $225 billion to $250 billion,” AccuWeather said.

    INSURANCE PREMIUMS: How will Hurricane Milton's hit numbers affect Florida?

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management, hurricanes have caused more than $1.3 trillion in damages since 1980, with each event causing an average of about $22.8 billion in damages .

    These are the worst hurricanes in US history.

    Contributors: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Tallahassee Democrat Elena Barrera; Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida; Frank Fernandez, the Daytona Beach News-Journal; Florida Today; Reuters

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    Kathleen William
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