Live updates: Back-to-back storms take toll on Cortez and other Bradenton neighborhoods

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The wallop of back-to-back storms has taken a tremendous toll on Bradenton’s neighborhoods.

For some of the oldest neighborhoods in East Bradenton along the Manatee River, Milton piled more destruction onto what Helene wrought. Warped drywall, furniture and household belongings from Helene’s floods were still piled in front of many homes as the second hurricane in as many weeks approached.

Milton added to the chaos, sending trees crashing into homes and power lines. Trees that stood for decades lay across neighborhood streets, blocking them entirely.

On Thursday afternoon, homeowners worked to clear the carnage that Hurricane Milton left behind.

Residents who spoke with the Bradenton Herald shared different stories about how the intense hurricane affected their homes. Some houses near the Manatee River were spared the invasion of storm surge and flood water. Others weren’t so lucky.

Amanda Birard, who has lived in the neighborhood for about three years, said a few inches of water got into her house, but she was relieved that Bradenton avoided the steep surge predictions of 10 to 15 feet that were forecast at one point.

A neighbor who was helping her clean up her yard agreed.

“I prefer the winds and debris to the surge,” he said.

Birard said she has mixed feelings about staying in the neighborhood after the double whammy.

“If we keep having surge warnings like for this one, I don’t know,” Birard said. “I’ve already looked at Zillow.”

A few blocks away, another East Bradenton resident said she feels differently. Caitlin Wallace has lived in her home for eight years and has considered selling it, but the home has held up so well to a string of recent hurricanes that she is second-guessing that idea.

Wallace evacuated just to be safe but said her home suffered minimal damage.

“The water is never an issue here. I’m pretty confident in this area,” Wallace said.

Just three houses down from Wallace, Milton felled a massive oak tree, forcing drivers to find another way around the neighborhood.

- Ryan Ballogg and Ryan Callihan

‘My whole community is devastated’

Residents in the historic fishing village of Cortez also dealt with the reality of a second hurricane in less than two weeks.

On Thursday, the streets of Sunny Shores Mobile Home Park were flooded with standing water and littered with junk in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in Siesta Key on Wednesday evening.

The Cortez community, where many residents lost everything due to Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge last month, had piles of uncollected storm debris as Milton threatened the Gulf Coast. Many residents were concerned that the remaining debris would turn into projectiles if it were not picked up by Manatee County in time.

Following Milton, furniture, garbage bags, sleeping bags, pictures, books, AC units, refrigerators and more lined the streets.

“The most upsetting thing about this is they never came up to pick up all this debris that’s everywhere,” said Henrietta Hoffman, 80, a longtime Cortez-area resident. “It’s been there for 10 days and nobody picked it up.”

Manatee County reported as of Wednesday that it had recovered around 6,000 tons of debris . Residents expressed frustration that it wasn’t enough, as piles went uncollected at Sunny Shores Mobile Home park and other neighborhoods ahead of Milton.

Henrietta and her husband, Bob, 84, have lived nearby in the 3500 block of 115th Street West for 30 years. But she said she’d never seen anything like the last couple of storms.

After Helene, she said the couple had to be rescued by boat after Helene’s flooding left her chest deep in water in her driveway. Now, following Milton, a large portion of the couple’s roof and carport were missing, so they’re staying with a friend.

Henrietta said she hurts for Sunny Shores and the surrounding neighborhoods.

“We still have the structure of our home, but my whole community is devastated,” Henrietta said, her voice getting quiet as she held back tears.

- Michael Moore

Bradenton’s Riverwalk strewn with damage

The Bradenton Riverwalk sustained extensive damage from Hurricane Milton.

Downed trees, light poles and other hazards lined the popular park along the Manatee River Thursday afternoon.

A downed sea grape tree lay in the path of the CSX railroad track that connects Bradenton and Palmetto.

A family gathered along the seawall to point in awe at a capsized 22-foot boat trapped near a fishing pier. Out in the waterway near the Green Bridge, the teal bow of another capsized boat barely broke the surface of the river.

Further along the Riverwalk, the remnants of private docks stood splintered in the water, likely destroyed by storm surge and vessels that became untethered by Milton’s wind speeds.

The wreckage of a 37-footer rocked gently along the seawall in front of Brian Zoller’s home on Riverside Drive East. The large boat damaged his dock, boat lift and the Riverwalk’s seawall railing.

“It hurts to see it. We only put (the dock) in less than two years ago, but I think it’s salvageable,” said Zoller.

Zoller said that his family evacuated to an Airbnb rental in a non-evacuation zone, but the back-to-back hurricanes have him considering building a new home at a higher elevation.

“I don’t know what elevation you have to get to to be real secure. Probably 20 feet,” Zoller estimated.

- Ryan Callihan

Airport hit hard, reopens Saturday

Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport took a hard hit from Hurricane Milton, according to officials.

The Category 3 storm, which made landfall on Wednesday evening with 120 mph winds, damaged the roof over Concourse B, including the screening checkpoint.

“We are working to get it repaired as quickly as possible,” an airport spokesperson said. “Our goal is to reopen on Saturday morning, October 12th. “

The airport, which serves Sarasota and Manatee counties, also incurred damage to many of its aircraft hangars.

- Jay Weaver

Conserve water use in Manatee

Manatee County officials are urging residents to limit water use as Southwest Florida shifts to recovery after Hurricane Milton.

The Category 3 storm, which made landfall at Siesta Key just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday with 120 mph winds, brought life-threatening storm surge, pounding winds and power outages to counties across the state.

READ MORE: Hurricane Milton battered Southwest Florida. What does the damage look like?

Residents, according to the county, should conserve water for essential uses, like drinking and sanitation by:

▪ limiting shower times

▪ not doing laundry

▪ postponing washing dishes

▪ avoiding pouring liquids down household drains

The county did not specify when regular water usage could resume.

- Grethel Aguila

‘Little bit of old Florida’ ruined

An Anna Maria Island landmark hanging by a thread after September’s Hurricane Helene is now gone after Milton slammed into Siesta Key Wednesday night.

Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds off Sarasota, wiped out the Rod and Reel Pier, a seafood restaurant that opened in 1947 on the island’s northern end, according to social media posts from officials.

County commissioner George Kruse and the City of Anna Maria posted to their Facebook pages that the landmark restaurant — known for its “little bit of old Florida” charm — was destroyed.

“What was left of the Rod & Reel Pier and its restaurant after Helene gave in with the surge,” Kruse wrote on Facebook.

Kruse showed a split image of the Rod and Reel Pier after Helene’s damage and after Milton’s destruction, while the City of Anna Maria mentioned the restaurant at 875 North Shore Dr. in a Thursday morning update.

“The Rod & Reel pier appears to be totally destroyed,” part of the update said. The post said, “streets are cluttered with electrical cables, and some power poles are down, with minimal debris on roadways.”

The City of Anna Maria also said city hall did not have structural damage, though the city pier lost 50 yards of walkway.

Kruse’s split-screen photo of the Rod and Reel Pier’s destruction shows the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the distance.

- Jason Dill

Access to Anna Maria Island cut off

If you’re thinking about driving over to Bradenton’s barrier island to check out the beach — don’t, there’s no access.

In the wake of Hurricane Milton, Bradenton Police set up a roadblock Thursday morning to Anna Maria Island with concrete barriers and a cruiser blocking access to the beach community, which is dotted with homes, hotels and restaurants.

A Bradenton police officer said there’s no access to the island at all. Both causeways to Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach are closed.

“I don’t know when they’ll open it,” the officer said.

Other major arteries in the region, however, have reopened in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath.

Three bridges that connect Pinellas to Manatee and Hillsborough counties were reopened Thursday morning, including the Sunshine Skyway, the Florida Department of Transportation has announced.

READ MORE: Sunshine Skyway, other Tampa Bay bridges, reopen after Hurricane Milton shutdowns

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay had closed at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday ahead of Milton’s arrival to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Tampa Bay-area bridges close when wind speeds exceed 45 miles per hour, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The National Hurricane Center reported sustained winds of 73 mph, and a gust of 102 mph was recorded at the Skyway Fishing Pier’s WeatherFlow station around 9 p.m. Wednesday, about half an hour after the Category 3 storm made landfall at Siesta Key near Sarasota.

- Michael Moore and Jason Dill

‘The tree went down almost in slow motion’

Those who took to the roads Thursday morning were forced to navigate a maze of downed trees, power lines and storm debris, sometimes having to turn back and find another route. Cars swerved around a large tree in the middle of 26th Street West near 18th Avenue.

Steve Macfarlane, 50, was one of many Bradenton residents who woke up to find a massive tree uprooted on his property at 39th Street and 17th Avenue Drive in West Bradenton. While Macfarlane is still assessing the extent of the destruction, he said the tree hit his house in the middle of the night, damaging his roof and “taking out his fence.”

At first, Macfarlane thought he managed to escape Hurricane Milton with little to no damage after the winds calmed down around 9 p.m. Wednesday He had hoped the worst was over. But when the wind’s howling began again, and Macfarlane realized the reprieve had only been temporary.

“The tree went down almost in slow motion,” Macfarlane said.

Following Hurricane Milton, Macfarlane said he’s left with mixed emotions. He and his family are safe, but he said he’s left with uncertainty about the future.

“I don’t know what to do next. How do I even get rid of something like this?” Macfarlane said. “Every single time a storm came, I always worried about that tree falling. Every time. This time, it finally happened.”

- Michael Moore

No power for more than 200K in Manatee

Bradenton-area residents woke up Thursday morning to find downed trees, major flooding and nearly 80% of Manatee County without power in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath.

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, more than 200,000 residents and businesses in Manatee County were affected by the outage, according to Find Energy.

The powerful Category 3 storm brought peak winds of up to 120 miles per hour and caused devastating damage, according to emergency management officials.

Statewide, more than three million people were without power after the Category 3 storm made landfall at Siesta Key in Sarasota County just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Manatee County government officials said a group of seven “First-In-Teams” staffed by first responders, public works employees and other emergency personnel began inspecting the damage and clearing debris from major roadways such as U.S. 41 and U.S. 301.

“Equipped with lights, generators, chainsaws and a full complement of special vehicles and tools, these teams have been able to do amazing work amazingly fast,” Jodie Fiske, Manatee County’s public safety director, said in a video update Thursday morning.

Residents were asked to stay off the roadway to allow the crews to complete their work. “We do not need disaster tourists,” Fiske added. “It’s potentially dangerous with all the signal outages, downed lines , trees and limbs and fences.”

READ MORE: More than 80 percent without power in Manatee County as Hurricane Milton recovery begins

In a Thursday morning news release, Manatee County officials also urged residents to avoid entering buildings with visible damage — such as collapsed walls, shredded roofs or flooding — until the building can be inspected by a certified professional.“We urge all residents to exercise caution and patience during this time,” the release said.

One of the county’s property casualties was the Bank of America building at 6160 14th St. in Bradenton. Part of the building’s flat roof lifted up and flapped over the front section of the second-floor, covering a row of windows.

Manatee County also posted on X damage photos from around the county.

Flood watch in effect Thursday

Manatee County is under a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service until 8 p.m. Thursday.

The weather service also warned of a high risk of rip currents through Saturday morning.

The deluge of rain, however, has mostly subsided — for now.

READ MORE: Manatee County under flood watch after Hurricane Milton. What’s the weather like?