Hurricane Milton live updates: Biden visits hard-hit communities in Florida as power outages continue in Tampa
Forecasters have warned that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks
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President Joe Biden is visiting Florida today to tour communities impacted by Hurricane Milton.
During the visit, the president is expected to announce more than $600m in funding for projects for electric grid resilience, to help the state become better equipped to deal with future storms.
With the storm also impacting fuel delivery, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state is also offering free gasoline at state fuel depots.
So far, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Six people in St Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.
While Floridians return home to survey the damage to their communities, officials are warning that major flooding could still hit north of Tampa.
As of Sunday morning, more than 900,000 homes were still without power in Florida, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. Damage from the storm is estimated to have cost upwards of $160bn.
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Hurricane Milton is the best argument yet for climate change action
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Pictures show damage on key near where Milton made landfall
Residents were permitted on Saturday to return to eastern Florida’s Manasota Key, a barrier island not far from where Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday.
Here are some of the scenes that greeted them, courtesy of WINK News.
How one organization is helping out in Florida: Free BBQ
A Missouri-based nonprofit is sprining into action in Florida to distribute free barbecue meals in the city of St. Petersburg.
Operation BBQ Reflief handed out box after box of BBQ pork meals to the hard-hit city on Florida’s eastern coast.
Trump threatens to withhold disaster aid during California rally
Florida’s back-to-back hurricanes are a reminder of the kind of threat extreme weather poses to the U.S., one that likely only get worse due to the climate crisis.
At a recent rally in California, Donald Trump suggested disaster aid might be conditional on a state’s politics.
More than 1,000 rescued in aftermath of Milton
More than 1,000 people have been rescued in Florida as of Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, according to governor Ron DeSantis.
“Fortunately we never had the 15- to 20- feet storm surge, but still, rising waters, very dangerous, and these guys have sprung into action,” the governor said at a public briefing.
Election officials warn that hurricanes could disrupt 2024 ballots
A pair of disastrous hurricanes could upend the upcoming 2024 election, according to officials in North Carolina and Florida.
“I speak for my colleagues around the state: It’s a rather simple formula – it’s hunker down, survive, and then we have to assess where we are with damages and make it work,” Brian Corley, the supervisor of elections in Florida’s Pasco County, told CNN.
“I’ve got precincts that are completely gone, that are completely washed away,” Mary Beth Tipton, the director of the board of elections in North Carolina’s Yancey County, added. “We’ve actually got a post office that’s washed away.”
Flood risk remains in Florida well after storm
Flood risk remains high in certain areas of Florida, even days after Hurricane Milton passed through the state.
“Major flooding” is forecast on the Withlacoochee River, north of Tampa, the National Weather Service said on Saturday night, which could impact Levy and Citrus Counties.
“Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the agency warned. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas.”
‘Net zero’ neighborhood avoided blackouts during Milton
While parts of Florida were flattened and flooded by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, one South Florida development weathered the storms with few issues.
Hunters Point, near Bradenton Beach, is billed as the country’s first “net-zero” single-family housing development.
The development in Cortez, Florida, generates more energy than it uses via solar panels, and homes are built with hurricane-proofing technologies like concrete constructions, hurricane-proof fixtures, foam-reinforced walls, streets designed to divert flood waters, and buried power and interent lines.
As CNN reports, those inside the development were able to keep their electricity when millions lost it, even though Milton made landfall nearby.
“Everybody around us was completely dark at like five in the morning, and you see the lights on in our houses,” Marshall Gobuty, the founder and president of the development, told CNN. “So, it really was a test of why we did this.”
President Biden to visit Tampa area on Sunday
President Joe Biden will visit Florida on Sunday to survey the damage from Hurricane Milton, WTSP reports.
The president is set to arrive at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base, then conduct an aerial tour of storm damage in the surrounding area.
He’ll then head to St. Petersburg and get a briefing on the state of the disaster response.
Biden will then depart for Philadelphia.
Viral fame brings concern for a family after hurricanes
A woman who says she’s the daughter of Joseph Malinowski, 54 — a Tampa, Florida man who went viral and was dubbed “Lieutenant Dan” for his decision to ride out the approaching hurricanes Helene and Milton on his boat — is worried that his sudden fame and donations from wellwishers will put her father at risk.
Ashley Anny Malinowski voiced her concern in a series of TikToks on Friday.
“Lieutenant Dan was doing just fine without all that money,” she told viewers in one video.
“Y’all TikTok f***ing famous people, y’all blowing him up and he’s gonna be dead before he can f***ing enjoy that boat and stuff. Because Look at him, after y’all got a hold of him and now he’s high as f*** on all these videos.”
More details in our full story.
The new threat of conspiratorial disaster relief
In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, partisan politics have encouraged the frightening spread of conspiracies about disaster relief.
Last week, Kelly Rissman had this look about the new phenomenon.
How Trump and his allies spread false claims about FEMA and Hurricane Helene relief
As the southeastern US braces for yet another hurricane, Trump and his loyalists are busy spreading falsehoods about the federal response to the last one
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