Florida returning to something like normal after Hurricane Milton
ELLENTON, Fla. — Florida counties hit hard Hurricane Milton are returning to some semblance of normalcy, with power restored to most areas Monday, gas stations reopening and students preparing to return to school.
Still, some hard-hit neighborhoods were without power Monday, with many homes and businesses badly damaged, their streets flooded and filled with debris. These may take some time to recover.
By Monday afternoon, Florida power companies had restored electricity to nearly 90% of the population 3.4 million homes and businesses that lost service after Milton made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane south of Tampa, hitting the region with 125 mph winds and a storm surge of up to 10 feet less than two weeks later. the Gulf Coast suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. At least 11 people were killed.
The region’s three major power companies expect more than 95% of their customers who lost power to have power restored by Tuesday evening, after deploying thousands of workers to quickly repair lines, poles and other infrastructure.
“I know those guys came in and started working as soon as they were able to,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told a news conference Monday at SeaPort Manatee, just south of Tampa Bay. He said the recovery “has been very quick and we appreciate what they have been able to do.”
Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy and TECO Energy also touted efforts over the past decade to put more power lines underground, install stronger utility poles and deploy technology that allows electricity to be routed around damaged equipment. Areas that remain flooded will be the last to receive power.
“Electricity and water don’t mix, so we won’t be able to generate power again until the water recedes to ensure the safety of those customers,” Duke spokesperson Ana Gibbs said.
Even after they restore power, homes that suffered damage to their electrical systems will no longer be able to receive them, the companies said.
Most gas stations have reopened and the lines have largely disappeared. DeSantis said about 12 million gallons (45 million liters) of fuel have been sent to the affected area in the four days since the storm, about double what would normally be sent. That will help replenish stations that ran out of gas before Milton arrived.
Most school districts in the hardest-hit areas plan to reopen campuses on Wednesday, although Manatee County plans to reopen its schools on Tuesday.
DeSantis has warned that removing debris could take up to a year even as Florida moves nearly 3,000 workers to the United States. clean up. The federal government has approved 100% federal reimbursement for these efforts for 90 days.
The sound of whirring generators still filled the streets of Chuck Porter’s neighborhood in the town of Ellenton on the Manatee River, about 40 miles south of Tampa.
A broken utility pole still lay in the courtyard of a nearby house. A large, uprooted tree still held the power lines at the entrance to the neighborhood. Trucks of utility workers drove along the highway without stopping, because they could not yet get through to carry out repair work.
“No one here has power,” said Porter, a retiree who moved to the community nearly 70 years ago.
Yet he didn’t complain. Porter and his wife Nancy were staying nearby with their daughter. His power company’s website says his service should be restored by Wednesday evening, but even a small delay won’t bother him.
“By the end of the week, everything will be fine,” Porter said.
On Monday, the Porters were still cleaning up their home, which was knee-deep in water and awash in mud when Helene struck more than two weeks ago. The couple watched from the leather couch in their living room.
It was Milton’s winds that snapped the power lines to the neighborhood and tore some of the shingles off Porter’s roof. But the wind damage to his home was minimal. The Key West-style bar he built himself in the backyard remained intact, with its neon signs and displays of hanging baseball bats and guitar-shaped bottle openers undisturbed.
Still, the water damage inside was extensive. He was replacing his air conditioner and his refrigerator, as well as other appliances.
“Salt water just destroys everything,” Porter said. “Any light fittings that have become wet should be pulled out.”
And many of his neighbors had it worse, he said: Homes one street closer to the river were flooded with sewage. Others lost parts of their roofs or had broken windows.
“It’s going to be like this for six months or more” before all the storm damage is repaired, he said. “The insurance pays for it. It’s just time consuming.”
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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg. AP writers Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this report.