Florida's Hurricane Double Whammy: Rebuilding and Acceptance

Florida residents are no strangers to hurricanes. But two strong storms, Helene and Milton, hitting close together? That's a first for many. The Bahia Vista Gulf condominium complex in Venice faced a tough task. After cleaning up from Hurricane Helene, they had to start all over again with Hurricane Milton. "It's like we're back to square one," said board member Bill O’Connell. The sand that was cleared out came right back in. Living in Florida means accepting that hurricanes are part of the deal. "It's the price you pay for paradise," O’Connell said. The state is still tallying the damage from these back-to-back storms. Many residents spent Saturday searching for gas due to a shortage. President Biden planned to visit the Gulf Coast to see the damage.

Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, caused flooding and spawned tornadoes. Officials say evacuations saved lives. More than a thousand people were rescued. The economic cost is big, with estimates ranging from $50 billion to $85 billion. In Cortez, a fishing village near Tampa, residents felt panic when Milton hit. Catherine Praught and her husband had to evacuate again, leaving their home of 36 years damaged. They hoped insurance would help. Similar scenes played out in Steinhatchee, where Melissa Harden's home was flooded. "We didn’t want it!" she said about the storm. Fuel shortages were a big problem. People lined up at gas stations for hours. Governor Ron DeSantis said the state was opening fuel distribution sites. Safety threats included downed power lines and rising rivers. Over a million Floridians were still without power. The weather service warned that rivers would keep rising, leading to flooding.

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