Biden surveys Milton damage; Florida power will be restored by Tuesday: Updates

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. – President Joe Biden on Sunday visited Florida for the second time in a little more than a week to tour storm-ravaged communities as the state grappled with hundreds of thousands of power outages, gas shortages and persistent flooding in the wake of deadly Hurricane Milton.

After an aerial tour over stretches of battered coastline and the shredded roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Biden delivered remarks in St. Pete Beach, one of the many communities along the west-central coast of Florida reeling after the one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Biden said while the state avoided the worst-case scenario, Milton wrought widespread destruction, submerging entire neighborhoods under several feet of floodwater, destroying homes, and killing at least 17 people.

"Thankfully, the storm impact was not as cataclysmic as we'd predicted," Biden said. "But for some individuals, it was cataclysmic. All those folks who not only lost their homes but more importantly those folks who lost their lives, lost family members, lost all their personal belongings."

On Saturday, Biden approved a disaster declaration that will free up federal funding for people affected by Milton, including grants for temporary housing, home repairs, and loans. On Sunday, Biden said that since he signed the declaration, more than 250,000 Floridians registered for help – "the most in a single day ever in the history of this country."

The president announced an additional $612 million to support communities displaced by recent hurricanes, which includes $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and another $47 million for Florida Power and Light to help restore electricity and "make the region's power system stronger and more capable."

"This is all a team effort, folks. You made a big difference and have saved lives," Biden said at the close of his remarks. "But there's much more to do. And we're going to do everything we can to get power back in your home, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger."

Developments:

◾ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed 2,800 workers to remove debris over the next 90 days after Biden agreed to reimburse the state 100% of the costs. DeSantis called the debris removal effort "unprecedented" and said the state would "step up" and help cities and counties.

◾ The National Weather Service confirmed Martin County was hit by two tornadoes that spun off from Milton — an EF1 tornado in Port Salerno and an EF2 tornado in Hobe Sound and Port Salerno. Officials from the weather service in Melbourne have been assessing damage daily across the Treasure Coast from tornadoes embedded in Milton’s outer bands of rain.

'Everyone is okay here': Fort Myers Beach lifts curfew

The curfew previously put in place from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for Fort Myers Beach, Florida, has been lifted, town officials said Sunday. Officials also announced that hurricane reentry passes were no longer needed to re-enter the island.

"Now that most of the sand and debris have been cleared from the roads and power has been restored to majority of the island, we feel comfortable lifting the (pass program)," town spokesperson Nicole Berzin said in a news release.

The island saw roughly 6 feet of storm surge, which left behind tons of sand covering streets, and filling some homes and businesses as the water receded. While Fort Myers Beach will still need to do the work to clean up after Milton, business owners' and residents' outlooks were positive.

Grant Erickson, part-owner of Erickson & Jensen Seafood Packers, said his beach dock and business had weathered the storm well. Fearing the worst, and remembering the punishment Hurricane Ian doled out to the shrimp fleet in the waters of Lee County, he sent all his boats away – some up the river, past the locks. Others took refuge in Key West.

On Sunday, he said the docks held together very well, and all four boats sent up the river survived. The two in Key West did fine as well, he said, as did those riding out the storm on the 200-ton steel beasts.

"Everyone is okay here," Erickson said.

— Kate Cimini, Fort Myers News-Press

Energy secretary: Florida power will be restored by Tuesday

Full power restoration is expected in Florida by Tuesday evening, said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who was traveling with Biden. That's probably longer than the approximately 720,000 still-powerless customers want to wait, but it would mean all blackouts would be solved less than a week after Milton hit Wednesday night.

More than 200,000 homes and businesses got their power back Sunday, as tens of thousands of linemen from 43 states and Canada have been working to restore electricity, Biden said, after Milton left about 3 million Floridians in the dark.

Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, is currently reporting the most outages in the state with over 212,000 homes and businesses, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker. The next highest is Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg and Clearwater, with more than 102,000.

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Rising floodwaters after Milton threaten neighborhoods across Florida

Milton's deluge continued to afflict communities on Sunday as officials warned of floodwaters and bulging rivers that are expected to rise further in the coming days. Some waterways even reached record levels.

Flood warnings were active in counties across the state, including Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough, Citrus, Levy, DeSoto, Alachua, Volusia and Seminole, according to the National Weather Service.

In the Tampa Bay area, Cypress Creek was measured at 15 feet Sunday, snapping the previous flood record of 13.8 feet set in 2004, according to the weather service.

The Hillsborough River at a state park northeast of Tampa also hit record heights on Sunday, reaching 15.9 feet, well above the previous highest crest of 14.7 feet, set in 1960. The flooding submerged roads in the Crystal Springs neighborhood, trapping residents in their homes.

In Seminole County, just north of Orlando, officials urged people to stay aware of the rising Saint Johns River.

"Levels have reached major flood stage, with a rise to near record flood possible in another week or two," the weather service in Melbourne said, adding that residents in Volusia and Seminole counties "should be prepared for prolonged major flood impacts for the next several weeks."

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After torrential rains, here come cold nights

Many Florida residents trying to recover from Helene and Milton's wet and windy one-two punch will have to contend with another variable from Mother Nature this week: An approaching cold front that could bring unseasonably low temperatures, especially overnight, across much of the state.

Florida's average October temperatures range from the low 70s in the northern parts to the low 80s down south. Daytime temperatures won't vary too much from the norm, but beginning Tuesday night Tallahassee will dip into the 40s at night and Jacksonville into the 50s. As the cold front makes its way south later in the week, the Orlando region will also get into the nighttime 50s, while the Tampa Bay area in the hard-hit west coast will drop to around 60 degrees.

The cold front is expected to come with dry conditions, which should help flooded communities. And there are no tropical cyclones in the Atlantic at this point, though forecasters are keeping tabs on a disturbance west of the Cabo Verde Islands that has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

St. Pete Beach residents encouraged by Biden visit

Part-time St. Pete Beach resident Paul Giardina was happy to see the president in town, saying he hopes it speeds up recovery efforts. Giardina lives in a one-story condo building with seven units near where Biden spoke in front of a collapsed house. His property was spared significant damage from both Helene and Milton.

Helene sent about half an inch of water into the building, ruining a bed, rugs, and other items, Giardina said. Milton tore off some roof shingles. But Giardina is grateful the storms didn’t do more damage, noting a house behind him lost the roof, and a condo building next door had more than three feet of water.

"We were the lucky ones," he said.

Cathie Perkins, the emergency management director of Pinellas County, which encompasses St. Pete Beach, said about half of the county was still without electricity Sunday. The community is tired and frustrated, Perkins said, adding it’s encouraging to know more help is on the way.

“We’re just very grateful that both the state and federal governments are here to help us and provide us with resources,” Perkins said. “I think it means a lot to people to see that we’re not alone.”

River flooding after Milton traps residents in their homes

Residents in a New Port Richey neighborhood have been trapped in their homes for days as floodwaters from the Anclote River rose to deadly heights, leaving numerous roads impassable.

The flooding, which reached 3 feet in some areas, trapped two elderly people in a car as they turned onto a neighborhood road and drove into a pond that submerged their Toyota Corolla, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. While the 82-year-old man survived, the 88-year-old woman in the passenger seat was pronounced dead.

Neighbors said they were shocked by the incident, and it convinced many to wait out the flooding instead of trying to wade through. Most homes in the neighborhood still had power.

"We're all getting a little stir crazy," said Emily Archer, a resident who has been delivering aid to residents using her lifted Jeep. Read more here.

– Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat

'I'm done': After Helene and Milton, resident wants out of Florida

Lance and Nichol Fountaine moved to Siesta Key from Tennessee in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made it possible to work remotely.

They love the island life and the community on the key, but after their home flooded six times in 14 months, they are exhausted, frustrated, and contemplating a move. Nichol Fountaine says she has PTSD from all the water in her home, with every storm bringing a wave of anxiety.

The storm surge from Hurricane Helene last month was the most devastating, pushing 3 feet of water into the Fountaine’s three-bedroom 1960s home. Hurricane Milton just added to the misery when it made landfall on Siesta Key on Wednesday and delivered 2 feet of storm surge into the Fountaines' house.

“I’m done,” Nichol said. “I love it, I’ll visit it, but I don’t want to live it anymore.” Read more here.

Sarasota-Bradenton airport to reopen Wednesday after $10M in damage

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will remain closed until at least Wednesday after Milton’s winds damaged two sections of roof located over the main concourse, an official said.

Airport CEO Rick Piccolo told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network, that repairs are underway and the airport expects to open at 9 a.m. Wednesday for passenger flights.

Private aviation with small aircraft are already able to use the airport's airfield. The airport parking lots and access for car rental purposes remain open.

"I think we have at least $10 million worth of damage, if not more," Piccolo said. "We have debris, pieces of roof that blew off and a lot of hangars that have been either heavily damaged or destroyed.”

– Samantha Gholar and Jesse Mendoza,Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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How much will Milton's damage cost?

Early estimates suggest the damage caused by Hurricane Milton could total $50 billion, Biden said Friday. But the total cost from property damage and economic loss caused could exceed $160 billion, according to an estimate from AccuWeather, which considers impacts such as long-term health care costs to survivors and disruption to business and industries.

"Milton will go down as one of the most damaging and impactful storms in Florida history, along with Hurricane Helene’s estimated total damage and economic loss of $225-250 billion just two weeks ago," AccuWeather said.

Since 1980, hurricanes have caused more than $1.3 trillion in damages, with each event on average bringing a cost of about $22.8 billion in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Contributing: Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers; Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida; Reuters