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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Floridians return home to clean up from two hurricanes, with gas and
power in short supply
By Ashley R. Williams, Brian Abel, Amanda Musa and Alaa Elassar, CNN
Updated:
10:46 PM EDT, Tue October 15, 2024
Source: CNN
Surrounded by the damage left behind by hurricanes Helene and Milton,
people across Florida are facing the daunting task of cleaning up, but
many lack the electricity and fuel to do it.
Hampered by roads blocked by fallen trees and flooding, fuel suppliers
and power companies are working to get the infrastructure of daily life
back up and running, and police are aiding recovery efforts by
providing escorts to fuel tankers trying to reach those most in need.
President Joe Biden made his second trip to the state in two weeks to
survey the latest hurricane damage. Speaking in St. Petersburg on
Sunday morning, the president thanked first responders and local
officials for their efforts and empathized with Floridians who had lost
everything, saying they are “heartbroken and exhausted, and their
expenses are piling up.”
Here’s the latest on recovery efforts:
• Deaths attributed to storm rise: The death toll from Hurricane
Milton now stands at 24, according to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement and St. Lucie County Communications Director Erick Gill. As
of Tuesday morning, the death toll for St. Lucie County is seven.
• Gas stations still waiting for fuel: Less than 18% of the
state’s gas stations had no fuel as of Monday afternoon, according to
the monitoring website . In the hard-hit areas of Tampa and Sarasota,
50% were out of gas. Around the Ft. Myers and Naples area, it was
21%, and in the Orlando area, 18%. More than 37.3 million gallons of
fuel has been delivered to Florida ports, according to Kevin Guthrie,
director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management. “We
have right now 25 Florida Highway Patrol escorts to rush in the fuel
tankers from the port, and so those are being brought in to fill out
the stations,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. Three public fuel sites in
Plant City, Bradenton and St. Petersburg have been opened, where
customers can receive 10 gallons of gas each for free. The governor
said more will be opened Sunday in Charlotte, Pinellas and Hillsborough
counties.
• Power is gradually being restored: As of Tuesday evening, nearly
100,000 customers remained out of power across the state, according to
– down from a peak of nearly 3 million. Crews from across the country
are working to reconnect homes and businesses to the grid. The power
companies estimate most people will have electricity by midweek.
Utility company Tampa Electric, which accounts for about 60% of the
outages, said Tuesday it is working “to restore power as quickly as
we can to all our customers safely.”
• St. Petersburg offers gas and charging stations: The city of St.
Petersburg has set up to help residents in need, with a place to charge
their phones and pick up essentials like bottled water, batteries and
tarps. A boil water notice for the city was lifted Monday.
• Debris removal is a major priority: DeSantis said during a Sunday
news conference the state is prioritizing debris removal and will allow
the public to track the progress. President Joe Biden has approved
100% reimbursements of debris removal costs for 90 days, the governor
said, encouraging city and county governments to urgently submit to
FEMA their project worksheets with details of how much debris they need
removed. “90 days, 100%, it’s time to get after it, no excuses,”
Guthrie said Sunday. “This is all of us, all together.” All red
tape has been lifted and direct permits are being quickly approved on
new debris management sites, and size and weight restrictions for
vehicles conducting removal have been lifted. Debris removal will
continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the governor said.
• President Biden approves major disaster declaration: President
Biden a major disaster declaration for the state on Saturday, according
to FEMA. “Federal disaster assistance is available to the state of
Florida to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by
Hurricane Milton” from October 5 onward, a FEMA news release stated.
Biden’s approval makes funding available for people in more than 30
counties impacted by Milton, according to the release. The funds
include grants for temporary housing and home repairs. The president
also announced Sunday more than $600 million in energy resilience
projects to shore up the power grid in places like Florida.
Flooding continues to slow down recovery
Ongoing flooding issues after Milton dumped 16 inches of rain over
Hillsborough County have hindered the area’s recovery from the storm,
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Saturday.
“The water doesn’t subside as rapidly as all of us would like, so,
this healing, this recovery, is taking a lot longer,” Chronister
said.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay continued
for rivers in Hillsborough, Sarasota and Manatee counties and several
other locations Saturday, with some set to remain in effect “until
further notice,” according to the weather service.
The in Lithia, Florida, and the , both in the Tampa area, remained at
major flood stage by early Sunday.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday began recommending
residents who live in low-lying areas prone to flooding evacuate for
their safety, to a post on X.
The significant amount of rain has left authorities monitoring for
river flooding in two areas: Cypress Creek in the State Road 54 area of
Lutz/Wesley Chapel and Anclote River in Elfers, the post .
A CNN crew touring the Hillsborough County neighborhood of Valrico with
the sheriff’s office on Saturday observed widespread flooding for
several blocks, leaving front yards and garages covered in water. Some
residents told them they’d never seen such severe flooding in their
decades of living there.
Residents in areas with rising floodwaters are being urged to evacuate
to shelters if needed and they should not move through muddy water,
which can be full of bacteria, Guthrie said.
Chronister said Saturday Hillsborough County’s crews performed more
than 300 rescues within a 48-hour period, adding rescue teams are
working around the clock.
More than 4,000 people have received help since Milton made landfall
through the , according to DeSantis. The Hope bus is still being
deployed to affected areas and has assisted more than 3,000 people so
far, the governor said. Families who are still in need of reunification
with a loved one can get help through the Red cross.
Drivers seek relief amid gas shortage
Drivers waited in lengthy lines Saturday outside gas stations in hopes
of filling their tanks and cans, as shortages in the state’s hard-hit
areas persisted.
Some people told CNN they’ve had to use word of mouth to find out
which stations have gas. Drone footage Saturday morning of drivers
hugging both sides of a Thorntons gas station in Oldsmar in Pinellas
County.
One of those lines made of at least 20 drivers stretched across the
intersection while letting other drivers travel through, video showed.
But relief was en route Saturday for some stations, including at a Wawa
station in Valrico, where Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies
escorted a gas tanker truck as several drivers awaited the chance to
use the pumps.
A man standing outside his parked white pickup gave a grateful
thumbs-up as the tanker pulled in, video showed. Paula Cast told CNN
her family visited four or five different gas stations Friday, but
everything was closed.
Then on Saturday, they got a call from one of their friends saying a
Wawa station had gas. “So, me and my son immediately ran over here,
and we’ve been in line for about an hour and a half, literally on
fumes,” Cast said.
CNN’s Sam Fossum and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.
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