Two million Floridians are still without electricity two days after Hurricane Milton made landfall close to Siesta Key on Wednesday.
Over three million people in the state were left without power at one time, but as restoration operations intensify over the weekend, power is gradually making its way back to every corner of the state.
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Counties on the western coast of Florida, including Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota—the ones where Milton first made landfall—are still among the most severely impacted.
Today, over 65,000 consumers were left without power by utility Florida Light & Power. However, since the hurricane, power has been restored to approximately 1.3 million customers, according to the company.
Drew Reisinger was still in a state of disbelief seventy miles north, in the rocky, paradisiacal Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene cut off his water supply and those of his neighbors for two weeks. As a makeshift shower head, he had only pierced a small hole into the bottom of a supermarket bag with water.
Victims of two separate storms are slowly making their way out of the devastation they've endured. After making landfall in Florida on September 26, Hurricane Helene roared across the South, bringing its destructive path to North Carolina. On October 9, the western coast of Florida was hit by Hurricane Milton.
Even though storms are a constant in Florida, the Sunshine State narrowly dodged disaster and is now starting to get back on its feet. Asheville and the rest of western North Carolina are still reeling from a storm that took them completely unawares; they are not used to hurricanes.
Storms no longer make landfall and then dissipate, according to Beth Zimmerman, a former head of disaster operations at the FEMA under Obama and a current senior executive advisor with the emergency management consulting company IEM. "In these age of hurricanes and other catastrophic events, people must stop dwelling on the past and start paying attention to the here and now."
These two storms illustrate how different places with different topographies and hurricane histories may be devastated by storms that are becoming stronger due to climate change. They may inflict various sorts of harm and determine distinct ways of healing.
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As an example, Ms. Zimmerman said that many roads in Asheville and the other remote mountain towns were buckled and washed away by Hurricane Helene, which first isolated storm victims and slowed aid. Upon making landfall late Wednesday, Milton caused trees and electrical lines to topple and debris to be strewn, but it left most roadways unharmed.
University of North Carolina Charlotte professor Stephanie F. Pilkington remarked, "While you have two storms, they're not the same thing - you've got two separate sorts of disasters." And she was speaking about civil engineering, technology, and construction management.
A devastating downpour from Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina only days after a sluggish storm soaked the region's rivers and soil. The area's rebuilding has been hindered by the intimidating mountain topography, toppled trees, and secluded areas, and the swiftly rising floodwaters that followed wiped out whole homes and caught residents unaware. The hurricane struck two weeks ago, and hundreds of people still don't have access to water, electricity, or mobile phone service.
Unlike in Florida, the sloping topography of western North Carolina produced different risks, such as mud and debris flows and landslides, according to Gary Lackman, a professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University.
The likelihood of storms moving deeper inland increases "if the storms are stronger due of climate change," Dr. Lackman said. Rebuilding with flood-resistant roadways would undoubtedly be necessary in the future, according to him.
Dr. Pilkington said that Asheville and western North Carolina have not been required to construct with such a high level of risk in mind, in contrast to Florida whose construction rules have long been able to accommodate the series of major storms that hit the state throughout hurricane season (possibly mitigating Milton's effect).
Helene caused more than 5,400 damaged road locations, according to North Carolina's department of transportation. The duration it will take to restore water in Asheville (where the majority of residents are still without it) or power to over 40,000 consumers in western North Carolina is still unknown, according to officials. It is unclear for some schools when they will be allowed to return to their facilities for courses.
The hunt for the swept-away victims is ongoing, as is the search by the authorities. On Saturday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that 93 fatalities had been confirmed to be caused by the storm. Across six states, the storm has claimed the lives of at least 234 individuals.
Regardless, individuals are striving to maintain their spirits and survive.
Retired couple Ray and Kathy Soave have been without water since the worst of Hurricane Helene hit their little hamlet of Woodfin on September 27. Woodfin is located just north of downtown Asheville. Their inventiveness has been tested by the shortage of potable water, but they have discovered sources of nonpotable water.
Using a little over a liter of water, you can have a legitimate shower, I discovered," Mr. Soave, 70, added with a cheeky grin. "If you don't wash off too well," he continued.
In Florida, where four big hurricanes have hit in the last two years, Milton showed up when people were still picking up the pieces left behind by Helene.
While the state's main populous areas were unaffected by Milton, island and coastal towns were. It also caused a spate of tornadoes, one of which killed six people after ripping through a retirement home to the north of Fort Pierce. So far, no storm surge-related fatalities have been connected to Milton, which means that the large-scale evacuation was successful; at least 14 deaths have been linked to the town. On Saturday, the number of customers still without electricity surpassed 1 million.
After two hurricanes in as many weeks, Floridians are finally making their way home, but their road to recovery is far from smooth.
Kim Galloway, a 68-year-old retiree from Englewood, saw the flooding of her house and the subsequent removal of sand and sea scent.
Ms. Galloway reflected on her experience during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 in Philadelphia, a city that, in her view, was ill-prepared, after seeing images of the devastation caused by Helene in North Carolina.
She contrasted this with Florida, saying that the Sunshine State takes more initiative in its preparations and warnings. It's almost excessive, she said.
Prior to Milton's arrival, authorities issued a severe warning: locate a secure location inside or outside of Florida. This triggered one of the biggest evacuations that the state has ever seen.
It is believed that every one of the 800 or so people of the little island settlement of Bradenton Beach, which is close to Sarasota, escaped the area. Deputies from the sheriff's office went door-to-door on Siesta Key, close to the storm's impact, to ensure that everyone had evacuated. Many people who had remained at home to care for Helene were among those who had to evacuate in a mass.
Originally, Julie Lightner's family did not evacuate for Helene, but as the storm surge started to increase, they realized they had leave, according to the 52-year-old from South Venice, Florida. After Milton flooded their house and tore off a portion of the roof, the family relocated once more.
She expressed her utmost concern about the predicted storm surge.
She warned that their house would have been submerged if the water level had risen to that level.
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