Anna Hudak, news editor

Around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton reached land near Siesta Key, Florida pushing nearly 120 mph winds. 

Hurricane Milton hit shore in Florida shortly after Category 4 Hurricane Helene “killed more than 230 people, flooded entire communities and destroyed critical infrastructure,” according to NPR. Helene’s torrential rain and high-speed winds caused flooding, building damage and landslides up and down the coast of the Carolinas, Florida and parts of Tennessee. Hurricane Milton is projected to cause further destruction in the Sunshine State where millions of people have been urged to evacuate. “If you choose to stay, you are going to die,” said Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor in an interview with CNN.

According to CNN, at least 231 people were killed by Helene across six states including Florida and “more than 300,000 people remained without power in Georgia and the Carolinas.” Thousands of National Guardsmen and federal personnel were sent to assist with recovery efforts in North Carolina. However, the ability of personnel to respond has been limited by destroyed infrastructure including bridges, roads and communications. According to AP News, “Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005.”

Some of the same area is expected to be hit by Milton as it travels through Florida, especially the Tampa Bay area. Efforts to evacuate were made difficult by the cancellation of more than 1,900 flights and the fact that “60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of gas Wednesday afternoon,” according to AP News. Furthermore, major highways were congested as people tried to leave all at once.

Despite evacuation orders, some jails are refusing to release or transfer inmates in advance. Those who are not incarcerated face challenges evacuating due to the expensive costs of travel, limited capacity of shelters, pets (which are not allowed in some shelters) and concerns about permanent displacement, according to The Guardian. According to CBS News, “officials have set up 149 shelters across Florida[…]with enough capacity to hold around 200,000 [people]” in preparation for Milton. In an interview with ABC News, Mayor Gene Brown of Bradenton, Florida encouraged residents who chose to stay despite evacuation orders to “write your name on your arm so we can identify you.”

Leading up to the arrival of Milton, efforts have been made to dispose of debris that Mitlon’s winds could use to cause further damage and fatalities. In a 24 hour period, 1200 truckloads and 1.1 million pounds of debris were removed from Bradenton, Florida after Helene, according to CBS. 

It is expected that communities affected by Helene and Milton will take years to recover, even with assistance from local, federal and state resources. Updates about the scope of the damage continue to roll in and recovery efforts from the damage Hurricane Milton and Helene progress.