Florida assesses damage from Hurricane Milton amid political controversy
Florida assesses the impact of Hurricane Milton while navigating a political upheaval.
TroibNews 
Florida was engaged in clearing downed trees and power lines while addressing flooded neighborhoods on Friday following the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which resulted in at least 16 fatalities.
Though Milton did not produce the catastrophic surge of seawater that had been anticipated in Florida—similar to the impact of Hurricane Helene about two weeks prior—the cleanup process could extend for weeks or even months for some residents.
"It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do," stated Chase Pierce, 25, from west St. Petersburg, who witnessed transformers exploding, sparks flying, and a power line falling in his backyard.
As the fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, Milton may lead to insurance costs that could reach up to $100 billion, according to analysts.
The White House promised government assistance as teams worked to assess the damages.
In the political sphere, Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in recent Reuters/Ipsos polling ahead of the November 5 presidential election, criticized his opponents regarding their management of storm recovery efforts.
"The federal government ... has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina," he remarked on Thursday. North Carolina suffered significantly from Hurricane Helene, and Trump is facing a close race against Harris in that state.
In response to Trump’s comments, Harris accused him of spreading misinformation about the government’s response and addressed the politicization of the situation during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.
"Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games," she remarked, refraining from directly mentioning Trump.
Both parties are acutely aware of the repercussions faced by Republican President George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, leading to a significant drop in his approval ratings due to what many perceived as an inadequate response.
The Joe Biden administration indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would require additional funding from Congress, which is currently split with Republicans in control of the House and Democrats in the Senate. They urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to take action.
Residents of Florida reported experiencing a double disaster.
As Milton made landfall on the state's western coast on Wednesday evening, some of the most severe damage occurred more than 160 kilometers away along the eastern shore.
According to CBS News, at least 16 hurricane-related deaths were reported by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In St. Lucie County, an initial wave of tornadoes claimed several lives, including at least two individuals from the senior-living communities in Spanish Lakes, local officials confirmed.
Preliminary analyses from the National Hurricane Center indicated that peak water levels between Siesta Key and Fort Myers Beach reached 1.5 to three meters above normal ground level.
The storm knocked out power to 3.4 million homes and businesses across Florida, as tracked by poweroutage.us, representing nearly 30 percent of the customers monitored statewide.
Many residents have been without electricity for days following Hurricane Helene’s earlier impact on the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted on Thursday that while the state had evaded the "worst-case scenario," the damage incurred was still considerable.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
Though Milton did not produce the catastrophic surge of seawater that had been anticipated in Florida—similar to the impact of Hurricane Helene about two weeks prior—the cleanup process could extend for weeks or even months for some residents.
"It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do," stated Chase Pierce, 25, from west St. Petersburg, who witnessed transformers exploding, sparks flying, and a power line falling in his backyard.
As the fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, Milton may lead to insurance costs that could reach up to $100 billion, according to analysts.
The White House promised government assistance as teams worked to assess the damages.
In the political sphere, Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in recent Reuters/Ipsos polling ahead of the November 5 presidential election, criticized his opponents regarding their management of storm recovery efforts.
"The federal government ... has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina," he remarked on Thursday. North Carolina suffered significantly from Hurricane Helene, and Trump is facing a close race against Harris in that state.
In response to Trump’s comments, Harris accused him of spreading misinformation about the government’s response and addressed the politicization of the situation during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.
"Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games," she remarked, refraining from directly mentioning Trump.
Both parties are acutely aware of the repercussions faced by Republican President George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, leading to a significant drop in his approval ratings due to what many perceived as an inadequate response.
The Joe Biden administration indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would require additional funding from Congress, which is currently split with Republicans in control of the House and Democrats in the Senate. They urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to take action.
Residents of Florida reported experiencing a double disaster.
As Milton made landfall on the state's western coast on Wednesday evening, some of the most severe damage occurred more than 160 kilometers away along the eastern shore.
According to CBS News, at least 16 hurricane-related deaths were reported by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In St. Lucie County, an initial wave of tornadoes claimed several lives, including at least two individuals from the senior-living communities in Spanish Lakes, local officials confirmed.
Preliminary analyses from the National Hurricane Center indicated that peak water levels between Siesta Key and Fort Myers Beach reached 1.5 to three meters above normal ground level.
The storm knocked out power to 3.4 million homes and businesses across Florida, as tracked by poweroutage.us, representing nearly 30 percent of the customers monitored statewide.
Many residents have been without electricity for days following Hurricane Helene’s earlier impact on the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted on Thursday that while the state had evaded the "worst-case scenario," the damage incurred was still considerable.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
