Hurricane Milton is moving away from Florida, leaving a trail of destruction and debris in its wake, and now comes the damage assessment.
Fortunately, this was not a “worst-case scenario,” according to Gov. Ron DeSantis, although photos and videos taken early Thursday as the sun rose showed widespread damage in many parts of the state from high winds, tornadoes, flooding and rain. Heavy. Rain driving.
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians were forced to flee their homes and head to higher or safer areas this week, as forecasters predicted widespread devastation and strong storm surge, especially in coastal areas.
Officials issued severe warnings to flee or face the odds of survival.
A view of some of the 700 evacuees in the shelter gym at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, in New Port Richey, Florida.
Mike Carlson/Associated Press
But some Floridians decided to stay, citing a range of reasons, from newborn babies and valuable livestock, to fuel shortages and congested roads.
As the storm prepared to make landfall in the Sunshine State, Global News took a look at five people undergoing hurricane preparations. Here’s an update on how they’re faring after the storm.
Mother with child
On Wednesday, a woman with her six-month-old infant documented her family’s preparations for the storm on TikTok, explaining that they would be sheltering at home rather than taking their child to an evacuation center.
“I would be more comfortable at home,” she told the camera, explaining that they considered leaving but were deterred when visits to several sold-out gas stations proved there was no fuel to put in their car.
On Thursday, she posted a follow-up video showing off the damage surrounding her home, which was fairly minimal — a few stray palm leaves and a twisted fence.
“We are all safe, everyone is alive, and we have strength,” she said, looking relieved.
Sarasota real estate broker
Leland Howard, a realtor and property manager who lives in Sarasota — one of the cities directly down Milton’s path — said Wednesday that he will weather the storm at his home to ensure he can quickly deal with any issues related to his business.
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While he was confident that his home was safe and strong enough to withstand the worst of the hurricane, he urged others to either evacuate or seek shelter at local temporary rescue centers.
On Thursday, after posting updates all night, he returned to TikTok to say he and his family were doing fine.
He said his property sustained minor damage, including a fallen palm tree and some debris, and that reports on properties associated with his business along Florida’s west coast have been “very positive.”
However, he noted that some homes were damaged by the winds and many people living on his property had not yet returned to their homes after evacuating flood-prone areas, so he was bracing for more reports of damage.
Hobby farmers
The owner of Our Simple Homestead, a hobby farm located in the “direct path” of Milton, shared emotional videos earlier this week about her decision to stay on the farm and do what she can to protect her livestock and many pets.
She explained that they were not able to move all the animals to safer ground and that some of them lacked the health certificates required to leave the state, so they were doing their best to protect them from the cyclone.
During the predawn hours on Thursday, after a long night inside with several farm animals, she said that while the power and cell phone service were out, they were “fine.”
When she headed outside, she took inventory of the animals and noticed that the cows and their calves had survived. Dozens of chickens, ducks and roosters were seen roaming in a field, and it appeared that the chicken coop, although temporarily closed, had not been crushed under the numerous fallen trees.
She became emotional in her update, and burst into sighs of relief that their rescued donkeys had been awake and fed and that all the animals had been spared the wrath of the storm.
Influencer
Carolyn Calloway, a Florida-based influencer known for her online antics, went viral earlier this week after sharing on Instagram that she would not be leaving her home in Sarasota, despite living on the water and being in a mandatory evacuation zone.
Her reasons for not leaving included her inability to drive, the airport being closed, and that the previous evacuation during Hurricane Ian had been “painful.”
“I’m going to die,” she said in an expired story shared on Instagram, before posting a photo overlooking the water with the caption: “I’m a little nervous because I live on the beach not going to lie.”
Well, Calloway actually survived, taking advantage of the attention that numerous news articles brought to her account to promote her books.
On Thursday morning, she shared a brief tweet to indicate her safe condition, writing: “I lived as a bitch,” alongside a selfie with her cat.
Corvette owner
As for the Florida man who wrapped his new Corvette in a roll of plastic wrap, his situation is still up in the air.
On Wednesday, he shared two videos of efforts to protect his beloved car from water damage, explaining that he lives on the east coast of Florida and was more concerned with rainwater flooding rather than his car “floating” away in a storm.
As of Thursday morning, there have been no updates to his TikTok channel, despite his promise of a part three video.
Antiquities of Milton
While almost everyone we followed seemed to have survived the worst of Hurricane Milton, others were not so lucky.
More than 3 million Floridians were without power as of Thursday, and at least five people have died.
Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, walks over bricks near a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, as Hurricane Milton’s strong winds tore through the area.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
The storm also spawned at least 150 tornadoes across the state, and the devastation caused by these additional tornadoes within the storm is still being assessed.
“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day goes on,” DeSantis said. “We have a lot to do, but we will definitely get through it.”
Officials in hard-hit Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee counties in Florida urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines and trees on roads, blocked bridges and flooding.
They also warned that the danger is far from over: Storm warnings have been posted for much of Florida’s east-central coast and northern Georgia. Tropical storm warnings have been issued along the coast into South Carolina.
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, can be seen from Surfside, Florida, as the outer bands of Hurricane Milton hit the sand, Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press
State officials said they completed more than 40 rescues overnight and that crews would go door-to-door in some areas on Thursday. In Tampa, police said they rescued 15 people from a one-story home damaged by a falling tree.
“Today we are focused on search and rescue operations,” said Colonel Mark Thieme, executive director of the Florida State Guard.
— With files from Saba Aziz of Global News and The Associated Press
