(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden got a firsthand look Sunday at the devastation inflicted on Florida’s Gulf Coast by Hurricane Milton as he pressed Congress to approve additional emergency disaster funding.
Biden arrived in Tampa and flew by helicopter to St. Pete Beach, surveying the wreckage left behind by Milton, including the roof of Tropicana Field that was shorn off by the powerful storm’s winds.
Later, as the president’s motorcade drove along the highway, piles of debris, tattered billboards, toppled fences, fallen trees and closed gas stations were seen. It passed through a neighborhood where almost every home had water damage and heaps of belongings were on the curb.
Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Florida Saturday, the second in as many weeks. The state is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, which hit in late September.
A disaster declaration allows states to use federal funds, and people in 34 of the state’s counties can apply for assistance through FEMA.
New storm-related deaths reported
Twenty-three people died from hurricane-related deaths after Milton pummeled Florida’s peninsula, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported. Local agencies determine whether a death is storm-related.
Here are the reported deaths by county:
- St. Lucie County – 6
- Volusia County – 4
- Citrus County – 2
- Polk County – 1
- Pinellas County – 2
- Hillsborough County – 2
- Sarasota County – 1
- Orange County – 2
- Brevard County – 1
- Lake County – 1
- Pasco County – 1
Post-Milton cleanup efforts ongoing
The days after Milton look similar to the previous days: Cleanup, recovery and power restoration.
Category 3 storm winds tore panels off the roof of Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, and a construction crane crashed into the Tampa Bay Times building.
Cleanup is an ongoing effort in St. Pete Beach and statewide. The St. Pete Beach Fire Department had to erect a makeshift fire station location at a hotel because one of their stations was hit by Helene two weeks prior.
“I don’t think you ever get used to being hit by hurricanes,” Deputy Fire Chief Adam Poirrier told NewsNation’s Mills Hayes. “Certainly two (hurricanes) within two and a half weeks was out of the norm … I don’t think we believed that was going to happen because it’s never happened in the past. Sadly, we’re getting pretty good at this now.”
The number of power outages has decreased significantly from the initial 3.3 million after the storm.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Saturday afternoon that crews from as far as Canada are working to restore power to the remaining hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without it.
Fuel shortages across Florida
Gas stations still don’t have power, causing a statewide fuel shortage.
Hundreds of cars formed an hours-long line outside one gas station in Bradenton, Florida, Saturday morning.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said three fuel depots opened Saturday. More were opened Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET in Port Charlotte, Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, and Sarasota County.
The state’s majority of remaining power outages are in those counties.
Hurricane Milton’s destruction
Arriving just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helene, the system knocked out power to more than 3 million customers initially, flooded barrier islands and spawned tornadoes. At least a dozen tornadoes tore through St. Lucie County, Florida, in just two hours, according to St. Lucie County’s communications director Erick Gill.
Officials in hard-hit counties have warned people to beware of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges, and flooding. Ft. Myers is under a foot of floodwater days later.
“You can hide from the wind, but you’ve got to run from the water,” said Ft. Myers Mayor Kevin B. Anderson on NewsNation Saturday morning.
The National Weather Service reported almost 19 inches of rainfall in the St. Petersburg area. A storm surge of 8 to 10 feet was reported in Sarasota County. Milton rapidly weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved inland.
Polk County officials shared a harrowing tale of life in a deadly storm. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said some of the office’s deputies helped transport a pregnant woman to the hospital early Thursday morning as she was going into labor, successfully getting her to the hospital to deliver her daughter, Jade.
In Venice Beach, a home was entirely buried in sand, with the pile high enough to push furniture halfway up a doorway nearly hitting the ceiling. The City of Venice said the area remains highly dangerous due to deep holes, trip hazards, exposed utilities, and sharp debris.
What we know about Florida’s recovery
All highways are open, and all commercial airports are open except for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Gov. DeSantis said Saturday afternoon. The airport aims to reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Other updates include:
- 1,000 people were rescued from floodwaters
- 12,000 miles of roadway have been cleared.
- 2,400 bridges have been inspected.
- 90% of traffic signals are back in operation.
- 43 of the 54 school districts will reopen Monday
Disaster assistance
The IRS announced tax relief for Milton victims. People and businesses in affected parts of Florida have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
People in affected counties can also apply for financial assistance through FEMA.
The “Serious Needs Assistance” is an upfront, flexible payment to help cover essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies, according to the agency.
There are four ways you can apply for FEMA disaster assistance:
- Fill out a DisasterAssistance.gov application online
- Apply using the FEMA app by downloading the free app from your smartphone’s app store
- Apply by phone at 1-800-621-3362
- Apply in person at a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). Find a DRC near you
According to the agency, you must live in a presidentially declared disaster area to receive financial assistance from FEMA. You can check your area’s status with FEMA’s address lookup tool here.
Businesses take hit from hurricanes
Business owners in Florida who spoke to NewsNation said they are now having trouble making ends meet following the two hurricanes.
On St. Pete Beach, just steps away from where Biden visited, sits Corey Avenue.
“The good folks of Corey Avenue are draining their bank accounts, not being able to open for three weeks, almost a month,” Lindsay Miller-Madril, owner of Deco Salon and Boutique, said.
After putting everything in her and her husband’s savings toward their store, Elizabeth Nowak says all their merchandise is now destroyed.
“It was just absolutely heartbreaking,” Nowak said. “…We just want some help. That’s all.”
CC Danielson’s business, CC’s Painting, is now “just not going to meet our bills this month.”
“Having to admit that out loud is really hard,” Danielson said in an interview.
Anna Kutz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.