Florida officials began the grim task Thursday of assessing the wreckage caused by Hurricane Milton — the second major hurricane to strike the state in as many weeks — while some Floridians who fled to safety in Georgia and other states waited anxiously to learn the fate of family, friends and property they left behind.
Milton carved a wide path of destruction across center of the Sunshine State.
The roof of Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped to shreds by the storm in St. Petersburg. Punishing winds also caused a crane to collapse in St. Petersburg, crushing the offices of the Tampa Bay Times. By late Thursday afternoon, eight deaths had been confirmed from the storm and more than 3 million customers were without electricity, according to The Associated Press.
Still, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early indications were Milton was not as catastrophic as many had feared. “The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst-case scenario,” he said.
Milton made landfall Wednesday night off the coast of Sarasota — near Siesta Key — as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Before its arrival, storm surge had been one of the chief concerns. The NHC had forecast waters could rise 9 to 13 feet above normal in coastal areas near the eye of the storm.
On Thursday, DeSantis said Milton’s storm surge peaked at around 8 to 10 feet near Sarasota, slightly below the most dire predictions. It was also lower than the highest water levels Hurricane Helene pushed onshore as it moved along Florida’s west coast last month. Milton’s landfall south of Tampa Bay was also a fortuitous break for the region of more than 3 million residents and helped keep the densely populated and flood-prone metro area out of the path of the highest waves.
As the storm came onshore and moved across the Florida Peninsula, inland flooding from torrential rains spurred water rescues. Milton also spawned deadly tornadoes, including one cluster in St. Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic coast that was blamed for at least five of the eight deaths.
Little damage in Georgia
As the remnants of the storm moved out over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday afternoon, there had been some concern that waves generated by Milton — combined with the afternoon high tide — could lead to flooding in low-lying parts of Georgia.
In the end, Milton stayed far enough south that the only weather-related effects felt in Georgia were gusty winds, roiling seas, beach erosion and a 2½-foot storm surge, officials said.
On Tybee Island, Milton was mainly a recreational event, with surfers and fishermen taking advantage of the turbulent water conditions. Surfers enjoyed waves as high as 11 feet, and anglers on the Tybee Pier pulled in 40-inch redfish, well beyond the keeper limit.
Tybee officials had worried Milton could swamp the U.S. 80 causeway, the only road on and off the barrier island.
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer
Credit: Adam Van Brimmer
When 60-mph winds from Hurricane Irma whipped the island in 2017, the road temporarily sank beneath the waves. Then, less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene’s surge washed across the roadway, covering it with marsh reeds and other debris.
Tybee crews worked all day Wednesday and again Thursday morning to remove the largest piles to try and prevent a repeat. Ultimately, Milton’s winds were half as intense as Irma’s and the road did not flood, even at high tide.
“Fortunately we didn’t have that issue with this storm,” said Bret Bell, Tybee Island’s city manager.
Officials at Georgia’s other oceanfront locales, such as St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, reported similar conditions. Late Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service lifted the tropical storm watch from Georgia counties.
Evacuees head home
Milton’s legacy in Georgia will likely center on evacuees.
Hotel occupancy rates in Savannah topped 95%. Cars with license plates from Florida numbered almost as many as Georgia tags in the city’s downtown and on Tybee Island.
“We’ve always been a welcoming community, never more so than when we are helping our neighbors in need,” said Michael Owens, president of the Tourism Leadership Council, a coastal Georgia hospitality industry advocacy group.
Florida officials were urging those who evacuated to check with local officials before returning and to not rush back to the state, but many who sought refuge in Georgia appeared to be streaming home.
At a Red Cross shelter at a church in Cordele, about an hour south of Macon, most of the 70 people who slept over Wednesday night had decided to head back to Florida by 10 a.m. Thursday. At another shelter in south Macon, all but four of the 11 evacuees who spent Wednesday night were gone by midday Thursday.
Others, like Pauline and Edward Rasmussen, were still weighing their next move.
The Rasmussens, who live between Ocala and Orlando, had been among the first to arrive at the south Macon shelter on Tuesday. They and Minnie, their pet poodle, took refuge for two nights at the edge of the center’s basketball court. Overnight Wednesday, Edward kept an eye on televised weather reports of Milton’s march across Florida.
“This morning, I saw it flying out into the Atlantic,” he said. “Thank God.”
Credit: Joe Kovac
Credit: Joe Kovac
While talking to a reporter Thursday morning, Edward texted a neighbor who lives across his street — a woman who’d ridden out the storm alone — to ask how she and her dogs were faring.
Minutes later came her reply: “The tornadoes missed us thank God. … We have branches down. … A lot of trash on the lawn. … Didn’t get much sleep. … Having coffee. … All is well. … No damage to the house. … Thank you for asking. Thank you for worrying about me.”
They then spoke by phone. “She had standing water on her lawn for a few hours, but that’s gone,” Edward said later. “There’s just drizzle now, and the sun’s trying to peek out. She never lost power. Isn’t that a miracle?”
Edward also got word that his own house appeared to have emerged unscathed. Still, he wasn’t sure when he, his wife and their dog would get back in their red Toyota Prius to head home.
“I can’t tell my wife to go home yet,” he said. “But I already dropped the hint that we should probably go see if there’s any damage. She says, ‘We’ll see.’”
