Message from Venice: No 'disaster tourism' after Milton

VENICE — Don't go visit areas in the community to see the damage after Hurricane Milton.

That the message from the city of Venice, which had problems with what is called "disaster tourism."

After Hurricane Helene hit Venice, some of the firefighters and police officers who were supposed to be out rescuing people instead ended up going to the Venice Fishing Pier and South Jetty to get people away from those places.

In Venice, onlookers were actually walking out onto the pier, which had cracked beams and missing foot planks.

"We understand people want to see what’s happened and check out damage," Venice Public Information Officer Lorraine Anderson said. "It’s a natural curiosity. But immediately following a storm, especially this storm, given its magnitude, is just not the time.

"People underestimate the dangers that are out there — downed power lines, debris, high water, contaminants. As soon as it is safe for us to do so, we’ll bring you photos and videos of these areas. Please don’t try to go out there yourself.

"And that’s not just limited to Venice. That’s any area that’s been devastated. We highly discourage 'disaster tourism.'"

So, too, does Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun. He specifically warned people about getting in the way of rescue personnel right after the storm, when they are checking on residents.

“They’ll go door-to-door to do that,” he said.