Florida's Recovery Efforts Challenged by Consecutive Hurricanes as Milton Approaches the Gulf Coast
Milton has quickly intensified into a Category 5 storm and is projected to make landfall on Wednesday.
TroibNews 
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — By Wednesday, Hurricane Milton is anticipated to cause life-threatening flooding and strong winds across Florida as the state prepares for evacuations and local authorities, along with utility companies, work to secure assistance.
The storm, which upgraded to a Category 5 on Monday, is set to make landfall less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the area. This timing presents a challenge for Florida's recovery efforts, especially given the lingering debris from Helene that occupies streets in already affected regions. The extensive devastation throughout the Southeast is likely to hinder access to linemen and debris removal teams crucial for swift recovery.
During a Monday press conference at the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis noted that Milton could generate a deadly storm surge in heavily populated regions along the Gulf Coast before moving eastward across the state, potentially delivering hurricane-force winds as it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Tampa Bay is forecasted to experience up to 12 feet of coastal flooding from the storm, which DeSantis characterized as catastrophic for the nearly 1 million residents of the area.
Emergency officials in Pasco County have already initiated evacuation orders, with Pinellas County expected to follow suit later on Monday. While forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami anticipate Milton will weaken before landfall near Tampa Bay, DeSantis urged residents in the hurricane's path to evacuate without delay.
“This is going to be something really significant one way or another,” DeSantis emphasized. “You still have time to do this today.”
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton is likely to produce life-threatening effects well inland.
“The system is still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards at the coastline and well inland,” their report indicated.
DeSantis explained that residents have only a few days to ready themselves for Milton, with power companies statewide hustling to bring in contracted line crews from faraway states to assist with power restoration post-storm.
This storm could mark the second major hurricane to strike Florida in a short span following Helene's impact on the Big Bend area. Even though Helene made landfall hundreds of miles from Milton’s expected path, its vast scale resulted in significant damage along the Florida Gulf Coast.
The many linemen who had been brought in ahead of Helene to restore power to over 2 million customers quickly departed for other parts of the country affected by that storm. Now, utility companies are sourcing crews from as distant as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
“They’re bringing people in from far and wide to respond accordingly,” DeSantis stated. "The resources are being brought in, and the power restoration effort will begin as soon as it's safe to do so.”
The heavy rains from Helene caused flooding across North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, isolating numerous mountain communities and leaving millions without electricity. This extensive damage prompted linemen and debris removal personnel previously dispatched to Florida ahead of Helene to move north, leaving considerable debris along roads in areas that Milton may also affect. To aid recovery efforts, DeSantis has called on the Florida National Guard, the state Department of Transportation, and even private citizens for support.
On Monday, President Joe Biden authorized a pre-storm emergency declaration for Florida.
DeSantis had also signed a state emergency declaration for 51 counties over the weekend, which includes orders for storm debris disposal sites to operate 24/7. Companies that had been contracted for debris removal but departed the state prior to completing their tasks are now prohibited from doing business with Florida, officials confirmed.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management typically organizes a group of contractors for debris removal that local governments can engage; however, it is the responsibility of municipalities to ensure those crews are available.
"We've made a huge dent in the debris, but there's a lot of it," said DeSantis. "That's why we need to go all day, all through the night tomorrow, as long as possible."
Florida emergency personnel that had initially been sent to assist in areas impacted by Helene are now returning to assist with Milton response efforts, including Florida Highway Patrol troopers assigned to help the Florida Department of Transportation manage the evacuation of potentially millions of residents.
DeSantis was accompanied by Kevin Guthrie, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who advised residents in flood-prone coastal areas to evacuate immediately rather than risk waiting too long. Traffic on Interstate 75 has already increased as people head north, and hotel accommodations in areas not expected to be affected by the storm, including Tallahassee, were running low by Sunday night.
"You need to leave early if you're within those low lying areas where storm surge can impact you,” Guthrie urged. “The earlier you leave, the better.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
The storm, which upgraded to a Category 5 on Monday, is set to make landfall less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the area. This timing presents a challenge for Florida's recovery efforts, especially given the lingering debris from Helene that occupies streets in already affected regions. The extensive devastation throughout the Southeast is likely to hinder access to linemen and debris removal teams crucial for swift recovery.
During a Monday press conference at the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis noted that Milton could generate a deadly storm surge in heavily populated regions along the Gulf Coast before moving eastward across the state, potentially delivering hurricane-force winds as it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Tampa Bay is forecasted to experience up to 12 feet of coastal flooding from the storm, which DeSantis characterized as catastrophic for the nearly 1 million residents of the area.
Emergency officials in Pasco County have already initiated evacuation orders, with Pinellas County expected to follow suit later on Monday. While forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami anticipate Milton will weaken before landfall near Tampa Bay, DeSantis urged residents in the hurricane's path to evacuate without delay.
“This is going to be something really significant one way or another,” DeSantis emphasized. “You still have time to do this today.”
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton is likely to produce life-threatening effects well inland.
“The system is still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards at the coastline and well inland,” their report indicated.
DeSantis explained that residents have only a few days to ready themselves for Milton, with power companies statewide hustling to bring in contracted line crews from faraway states to assist with power restoration post-storm.
This storm could mark the second major hurricane to strike Florida in a short span following Helene's impact on the Big Bend area. Even though Helene made landfall hundreds of miles from Milton’s expected path, its vast scale resulted in significant damage along the Florida Gulf Coast.
The many linemen who had been brought in ahead of Helene to restore power to over 2 million customers quickly departed for other parts of the country affected by that storm. Now, utility companies are sourcing crews from as distant as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
“They’re bringing people in from far and wide to respond accordingly,” DeSantis stated. "The resources are being brought in, and the power restoration effort will begin as soon as it's safe to do so.”
The heavy rains from Helene caused flooding across North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, isolating numerous mountain communities and leaving millions without electricity. This extensive damage prompted linemen and debris removal personnel previously dispatched to Florida ahead of Helene to move north, leaving considerable debris along roads in areas that Milton may also affect. To aid recovery efforts, DeSantis has called on the Florida National Guard, the state Department of Transportation, and even private citizens for support.
On Monday, President Joe Biden authorized a pre-storm emergency declaration for Florida.
DeSantis had also signed a state emergency declaration for 51 counties over the weekend, which includes orders for storm debris disposal sites to operate 24/7. Companies that had been contracted for debris removal but departed the state prior to completing their tasks are now prohibited from doing business with Florida, officials confirmed.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management typically organizes a group of contractors for debris removal that local governments can engage; however, it is the responsibility of municipalities to ensure those crews are available.
"We've made a huge dent in the debris, but there's a lot of it," said DeSantis. "That's why we need to go all day, all through the night tomorrow, as long as possible."
Florida emergency personnel that had initially been sent to assist in areas impacted by Helene are now returning to assist with Milton response efforts, including Florida Highway Patrol troopers assigned to help the Florida Department of Transportation manage the evacuation of potentially millions of residents.
DeSantis was accompanied by Kevin Guthrie, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who advised residents in flood-prone coastal areas to evacuate immediately rather than risk waiting too long. Traffic on Interstate 75 has already increased as people head north, and hotel accommodations in areas not expected to be affected by the storm, including Tallahassee, were running low by Sunday night.
"You need to leave early if you're within those low lying areas where storm surge can impact you,” Guthrie urged. “The earlier you leave, the better.”
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
