Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a morning press conference Thursday as officials across the state assessed damage from Hurricane Milton.
The storm made landfall as a Category 3 Hurricane at 8:30 pm Wednesday night at Siesta Key in Sarasota County.
“The storm did bring much destruction and damage,” DeSantis said. “Tornadoes ravaged parts of the east coast of the state. Flooding occurred on the west and east coast and strong winds lashed the state, especially in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties.”
While he stressed that emergency crews are still taking stock of Milton’s damage, DeSantis said that Florida avoided a “worst-case scenario.”
— DeSantis said there were no official figures yet on fatalities, although some are expected as a result of several tornadoes.
— Milton brought storm surges of up to 10 feet in Sarasota County, compared to 15 feet in some parts of Taylor County during Hurricane Helene.
— There have been 48 rescues thus far, and those operations are continuing.
— Roughly 1.2 million Floridians remain without power, and 635,000 accounts have been restored thus far. In Hillsborough County, 75% percent of accounts remain down, along with 92% in Manatee County, 82% in Pinellas, 68% in Sarasota.
— 50,00 linemen across the state are working to restore power in impacted areas. DeSantis said 6,500 soldiers and 31 aircraft are also assisting with recovery efforts.
— 80,000 Floridians were housed in shelters overnight.
— Officials are inspecting bridges across Florida before deeming them safe and allowing traffic to resume.
— Major rivers are still continuing to flood, including the St. Johns River.
DeSantis said residents need to remain cautious in Milton’s aftermath, advising them not to cut power lines, remove trees, or wade through standing flood water.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie noted that the St. Johns River will take 45 days to flush itself out and that elevated levels are expected in the coming weeks.
“Please do not go out and visit those impacted areas,” he said, stressing that emergency crews need unfettered access.
DeSantis bristled when asked about Wall Street estimates of damage, arguing that Milton’s impact is still being assessed.
“We are going to continue to support all remaining missions that are underway and that may be needed in the near future,” he said. “We will also continue to assess the damage that was done from the storm. We also anticipate because of the amount of water you may see flooding happen not just now but in the subsequent days. But I think everyone responded very quickly. I’m proud of everybody’s hard work. We’ve got more work to do but we will absolutely get through this.”
