After an aerial tour over stretches of battered coastline and the shredded roof of a major sports stadium, Biden delivered remarks in St. Pete Beach, one of the many communities along the west-central coast of Florida reeling after the one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton .
Biden said while the state avoided the worst-case scenario, Milton wrought widespread destruction, submerging entire neighborhoods under several feet of floodwater, destroying homes and killing at least 17 people.
"Thankfully, the storm impact was not as cataclysmic as we'd predicted," Biden said. "But for some individuals, it was cataclysmic. All those folks who not only lost their homes but more importantly those folks who lost their lives, lost family members, lost all their personal belongings."
President Joe Biden delivers remarks in St. Pete Beach following Hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaging Florida’s Gulf Coast, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. Alicia Devine/USA TODAY Network
Biden on Saturday approved a disaster declaration that will free up federal funding for people affected by Milton, including grants for temporary housing, home repairs and loans. On Sunday, Biden said since he signed the declaration, more than 250,000 Floridians registered for help – “the most in a single day ever in the history of this country."
The president announced an additional $612 million to support communities unplaced by recent hurricanes, which includes $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and another $47 million for Florida Power and Light to help restore electricity and "make the region's power system stronger and more capable."
"This is all a team effort, folks. You made a big difference and have saved lives," Biden said at the close of his remarks. "But there's much more to do. And we're going to do everything we can to get power back in your home, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger."
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were without power across the Florida Peninsula on Sunday, days after Hurricane Milton roared across the state, inflicting widespread destruction and killing at least 17 people.
More than 920,000 utility customers reported outages on Sunday, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker . Pinellas County, which encompasses the city of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, reported the most outages with over 567,000 homes and businesses, nearly half of all accounts in the county, still in the dark.
Since Milton began lashing the state on Wednesday, tens of thousands of linemen from 43 states and Canada have restored power for more than 2 million people, Biden said.
Rising floodwaters after Milton threaten neighborhoods across Florida
Milton's deluge continued to afflict communities on Sunday as officials warned of floodwaters and bulging rivers that are expected to rise further in the coming days. Some waterways even reached record levels.
Flood warnings were active in counties across the state, including Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough, Citrus, Levy, DeSoto, Alachua, Volusia and Seminole, according to the weather service.
In the Tampa Bay area, Cypress Creek was measured at 15 feet on Sunday, smashing the previous flood record of 13.8 feet set in 2004, according to the National Weather Service.
The Hillsborough River at a state park northeast of Tampa also hit record heights on Sunday, reaching 15.9 feet, well above the previous highest crest of 14.7 feet, which was set in 1960. The flooding submerged roads in the Crystal Springs neighborhood, trapping residents in their homes.
In Seminole County, just north of Orlando, officials urged people to stay aware of the rising Saint Johns River.
"Levels have reached major flood stage, with a rise to near record flood possible in another week or two," the weather service in Melbourne said, adding that residents in Volusia and Seminole counties "should be prepared for prolonged major flood impacts for the next several weeks."
St. Pete Beach residents encouraged by Biden visit
Part-time St. Pete Beach resident Paul Giardina was happy to see the president in town, saying he hopes it speeds recovery efforts. Giardina lives in a one-story condo building with seven units near where Biden planned to speak in front of a collapsed house. His property was spared significant damage from both Helene and Milton.
Helene sent about half an inch of water into the building, ruining a bed, rugs and other items. Milton tore off some roof shingles. But Giardina is grateful the storms didn’t do more damage, noting a house behind him lost the roof, and a condo building next door had more than three feet of water.
“We were the lucky ones,” he said.
Cathi Perkins, the emergency management director of Pinellas County, which encompasses St. Pete Beach, said about half of the county is still without electricity on Sunday. The community is tired and frustrated, Perkins said, adding it’s encouraging to know more help is on the way.
“We’re just very grateful that both the state and federal governments are here to help us and provide us with resources,” Perkins said. “I think it means a lot to people to see that we’re not alone.”
River flooding after Milton traps residents in their homes
Residents in a New Port Richey neighborhood have been trapped in their homes for days as floodwaters from nearby rose to deadly heights, leaving numerous roads impassable.
The flooding, which reached 3 feet in some areas, trapped two elderly people in a car as they turned onto a neighborhood road. While the 82-year-old man survived, the 88-year-old woman in the passenger seat was pronounced dead.
Neighbors said they were shocked by the incident, and it convinced many to wait out the flooding instead of trying to wade through it. Most homes in the neighborhood still had power.
"We're all getting a little stir crazy," said Emily Archer, a resident who has been delivering aid to residents using her lifted Jeep.
'I'm done': After Helene and Milton, resident decides to leave Florida
Lance and Nichol Fountaine moved to Siesta Key from Tennessee in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made it possible to work remotely.
They love the island life and the community on the key, but after their home flooded six times in 14 months they are exhausted, frustrated and contemplating a move. Nichol Fountaine says she has PTSD from all the water in her home, with every storm bringing a wave of anxiety.
The storm surge from Hurricane Helene last month was the most devastating, pushing 3 feet of water into the Fountaine’s three-bedroom 1960s home. Hurricane Milton just added to the misery when it made landfall on Siesta Key on Wednesday and delivered 2 feet of storm surge into the Fountaine’s house.
“I’m done,” Nichol said. “I love it, I’ll visit it but I don’t want to live it anymore.”
Sarasota-Bradenton airport to reopen Wednesday after $10M in damage
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will remain closed until at least Wednesday after Milton’s winds damaged two sections of roof located over the main concourse, an official said.
Airport CEO Rick Piccolo told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune , part of the USA TODAY Network, repairs are underway and the airport expects to open at 9 a.m. Wednesday for passenger flights.
Private aviation with small aircraft are already able to use the airport's airfield. The airport parking lots and access for car rental purposes remain open.
"I think we have at least $10 million worth of damage, if not more," Piccolo said. "We have debris, pieces of roof that blew off and a lot of hangars that have been either heavily damaged or destroyed.”
– Samantha Gholar and Jesse Mendoza , Sarasota Herald-Tribune
How much will Milton's damage cost?
Early estimates suggest the damage caused by Hurricane Milton could total $50 billion, Biden said Friday. But the total cost from property damage and economic loss caused could exceed $160 billion, according to an estimate from AccuWeather , which considers impacts such as long-term health care costs to survivors and disruption to business and industries.
"Milton will go down as one of the most damaging and impactful storms in Florida history, along with Hurricane Helene’s estimated total damage and economic loss of $225-250 billion just two weeks ago," AccuWeather said.
Since 1980, hurricanes have caused more than $1.3 trillion in damages , with each event on average bringing a cost of about $22.8 billion in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management.
On Oct. 3, Biden arrived in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to see the wreckage, speak to residents and first responders, and get a briefing on the storm, which blasted Taylor County, a sparsely populated area in Florida's Big Bend region that has been hit by three hurricanes in a single year.
He arrived at Tallahassee International Airport in Air Force One and then departed on Marine One to tour ground zero of Helene's landfall by air. After landing at Perry airport, a motorcade took him to Keaton Beach, which bore the brunt of Helene's storm surge.
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