Milton recovery efforts underway in Florida as 1.7M without power

(NewsNation) — Crews continue rescue-and-recovery efforts in Florida Saturday, three days after Hurricane Milton devastated an area still recovering from another hurricane two weeks prior.

At least 10 storm-related deaths have been reported so far, according to the White House. NewsNation local affiliate WFLA reported that one of those killed was a Polk County employee who was helping with cleanup.

Six deaths came from a tornado hitting the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village near Fort Pierce, while two women in Volusia County were killed by trees crashing into their homes, according to authorities.

President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Florida on Sunday to visit impacted areas.

More than 1.7 million customers remained without power in Florida as of early Saturday morning, down from an initial 3.3 million in the early morning hours of Thursday after the storm made landfall. The majority of outages are in the central-western part of the state where Milton made landfall.

Vice President Kamala Harris shared on X that 50,000 workers are contributing to the power restoration. Harris also noted FEMA has delivered more than 1.2 million meals, and search-and-rescue teams have assisted in more than 4,200 rescues.

Still, many expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse. The hurricane spared densely populated Tampa a direct hit, and the lethal storm surge that scientists feared never materialized.

“To the people of Florida: I know recovery and rebuilding periods can be long and difficult. And that long after the press and cameras move on, you have to pick up the pieces. But I want you to know I will do everything in my power to help you put the pieces back together,” President Joe Biden posted to X Friday morning.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the storm was significant but said it “was not the worst-case scenario.” While flying over some of the hard-hit areas, he said he noticed many recently-built homes fare well.

“We did not get the worst-case scenario, but we did get hit, and we are going to have to work to bounce back,” DeSantis said.

The governor continued to encourage residents to “exercise caution” and make “proper decisions” in the aftermath to avoid “preventable” fatalities.

Hurricane Milton’s impact across Florida

Milton made landfall Wednesday evening in Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm. By Thursday afternoon, Milton had moved off Florida’s east coast and became a post-tropical cyclone that no longer had hurricane-force winds.

Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert told NewsNation that crews were working on restoring power to the city, including trying to get traffic lights working. She said she planned to meet with the power company for an estimated restoration timeline.

“The devastation is just incredible,” Alpert said.

The mayor said all agencies were cooperating and assisting in recovery efforts.

Following Hurricane Milton’s landfall, rescue crews have been surveying the damage, with those in north Tampa using airboats to reach people.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said aid crews were working on restoring gasoline deliveries from Port Tampa Bay to local gas stations. The Coast Guard was leading the efforts to repair the port.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, Port Putnam in the northeast part of the state and Port Citrus on the Gulf Coast in central Florida remain closed as of early Saturday morning. The state’s 14 other ports, including Canaveral, Tampa Bay and Miami, are open.

Florida Highway Patrol is clearing sand off the roadway with skid steers in Manasota Key.

Hillsborough County officials have rescued “well over 1,000 folks” since Milton made landfall, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty told NewsNation. That includes 135 senior citizens from an assisted living facility.

DeSantis later confirmed the number had risen to about 1,600 people rescued. Around 140 pets have been saved so far.

In Pasco County, officials recommend a voluntary evacuation based on rising river and lake waters. So far, 150 people in the county have been rescued, according to its emergency management department.

Pasco County Interim Fire Chief Ryan Guinn gave WFLA an example of what crews have been seeing: “Family with the dog and the little kids. Little kids are just completely scared. Some are happy. Some are excited to see a lot of the water. They really don’t understand the devastation yet.”

FDOT crews have cleared over 12,000 miles of state roads, and bridge inspectors have analyzed nearly 2,000 bridges across the affected areas. State officials confirm that 31 rescue aircraft, 500 high-wheeled tactical vehicles and over a dozen boats are still deployed on hundreds of missions statewide.

Arriving just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helene, the system knocked out power to more than 3 million customers initially, flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball stadium and toppled a construction crane.

Officials in hard-hit counties have warned people to beware of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding. Before Milton even made landfall, heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida.

Just inland from Tampa, the flooding in Plant City was “absolutely staggering,” according to City Manager Bill McDaniel. In St. Petersburg, authorities warned residents to boil all water before drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth until at least Monday.

The National Weather Service reported almost 19 inches of rainfall in the St. Petersburg area. A storm surge of 8 to 10 feet was reported in Sarasota County. Milton rapidly weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved inland.

In Washington, D.C., Biden called on Congress to move as fast as possible to deliver emergency funding to the Sunshine State.

“I think Speaker (Mike) Johnson is going to get the message that he’s got to step up, particularly for small businesses,” Biden told reporters in the Roosevelt Room Friday.

The president said 50,000 powerline workers from 43 states and Canada are helping get power back to the region. He added FEMA was working with the Florida National Guard to clear debris and open the roads.

DeSantis pledged to send whatever resources he could into Pinellas County communities Friday. It’s an area that was mostly spared during Milton but was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, resulting in 12 deaths two weeks prior.

Tourism business resumes after Hurricane Milton

As the cleanup continued, the state’s vital tourism industry was beginning to return to normal.

The Tampa International Airport reopened Friday after a three-day flight suspension due to Hurricane Milton. Flooding damaged a hangar Wednesday.

Florida theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, reopened Friday after an assessment of the effects of Hurricane Milton.

Some Halloween special events won’t take place, and they won’t necessarily be fully functioning, but the public is welcome back, the parks said in statements.

As Milton came ashore as a major storm Wednesday, all three Orlando-based parks shut down, putting a damper on the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists, many of whom hunkered down in hotels. Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld were all closed for at least part of Wednesday and all of Thursday.

Orlando International Airport, Florida’s busiest, resumed domestic arrivals Thursday and planned to resume departures Friday after mostly shutting down Wednesday.

In Tampa, the animals were safe at popular tourist attractions ZooTampa and The Florida Aquarium, which planned to reopen Saturday.

The 1,000 animals at the zoo will remain in their night houses and hurricane shelter locations while habitats are cleared of debris, a spokesperson said. The aquarium also confirmed its animals are “doing well.”

The zoo sustained some damage from the high winds and does not have power, and the spokesperson anticipates the debris cleanup and restoration, which is already underway, will take a few days.

All conservation parks, nature preserves, trails, neighborhood/specialty parks and athletic complexes in Hillsborough County will be closed until further notice.

Officials warn of hurricane relief scams

As relief efforts continue, the U.S. Department of Justice is alerting the public to a rise in scams aimed at exploiting victims of these disasters.

According to the DOJ, scammers are quick to exploit weather disasters and the people affected by them.

Officials also reminded people that if their property was damaged by both Helene and Milton, they would need to apply for disaster assistance twice, with separate applications for the damage from each storm.

On Friday evening, Sarasota County Government shared that FEMA has asked for assistance “correcting a rumor about automatic financial reimbursement for those who have been without power for 24 hours. Any individual seeking disaster assistance from FEMA must complete an application process.”

Are more hurricanes heading for Florida?

The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor another system in the Atlantic, which is not expected to make landfall or come close to the U.S.

According to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 p.m. Friday advisory, Tropical Storm Leslie was about 1,340 miles west-southwest of the Azores, a group of islands in the mid-Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

The storm is expected to turn northeast and veer away from the U.S. over the next few days.

NewsNation’s Anna Kutz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.