On October 10, 2024, Hurricane Milton hit the coast of Florida. He swept it off its feet, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter as it ran rampant while shifting from a Category 5 to a Category 3.
The article, “Hurricane Milton live Updates: 3 Million Without Power, Final Hurricane Warning Dropped,” written by Mary Whitfill Roeloffs and Molly Bohannan at Forbes, gave live updates as to what was happening at an exact time. Some of the key facts that Whitfill Roeloffs and Bohannan listed were the following: “11 a.m. EDT, Oct. 10 – The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Milton had moved about 135 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph; In the 11 a.m. EDT update, the final hurricane warning that was in place from Sebastian Inlet northward to the Flager/Volusia County line was changed to a tropical storm warning; 6 a.m. EDT, Oct, 10 – Orlando Police and Orlando Fire officials were “back on the road” early on Thursday after having to shelter in place during the hurricane while Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also said it began rescue operations.” After these key facts, Whitfull Roeloffs and Bohannan add a quote directly from Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis that was said in a press conference on October 10th, 2024. “The storm was significant but thankfully this was not the worst-case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.”
Another article titled “Here’s What It Was Like as Milton’s Eye Came Ashore,” written by Jenna Russell at The New York Times, talks about a first-hand account of what happened as Hurricane Milton was happening. In the article, Russell writes how in Sarasota, Florida, the roaring 120-mile-per-hour winds of Hurricane Milton suddenly stopped around 8 p.m. and how it was a jarring difference from the many hours before and after. After saying this, she goes on to describe the winds as sounding anything from a bowling ball knocking pins over to a jet engine accelerating for takeoff. A few other things she said were that when she was inside her hotel room, the” windows moaned and shrieked in the wind. Ceiling vents rattled and vibrated.” One last thing she says from her first-hand account during the hurricane was how the hotel she stayed at was packed mostly with people who had been ordered out of evacuation zones. She says the following. “They gathered in the lobby late into the night – it was the only spot with lights powered by a generator – and watched warily as water crept under sandbagged doors.”
In one last article titled “Come Hurricane or High Water, Florida Residents Promise to Stay” written by Jaclyn Diaz at NPR, it talks about a first-hand experience from the Seabaughs, whose house has recently taken damage from Hurricane Helene. During hurricane mIlton, both the power and Wi-Fi were knocked out due to strong winds, causing the Seabaughs becoming unable to check on their house, located in Longboat Key, Florida. “We didn’t know what we’d come back to.” said Scott Seabaugh, due to him and his wife now being able to enter their community after it was closed for the storm. However, one question still lingered in their minds. Was their house still there? Thankfully, on Friday, October 11th, they were told that their home was still standing. “We got very lucky here,” Seabaugh said. “So clearly, we didn’t get the kind of surge that they were anticipating and just came back to two beautiful cottages.”
Although Hurricane Milton has destroyed homes and businesses in Florida, this doesn’t mean that this hasn’t affected those in our community. As you’re reading this, you might be walking down the street, in the hallway at your school, walking home from a sport, or anything else, but you never know if someone next to you has been affected by this devastating storm. For most people, it didn’t end in tragedy, but for some, they weren’t so lucky. Below are two charity organizations that you can choose from. If you can, please donate today to help those who have been affected by Hurricane Milton.
American Red Cross organization: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/press-release/2024/red-cross-responds-to-hurricane-helene.html
AARP Foundation:
https://foundation.aarp.org/site/Donation/2024-10-disaster-relief-aarp-web
