The State of Florida is Going Through a Bad Phase: Alan Staniforth, a Sailing Instructor, Embolded and Ready to Evacate
One of the most devastating hurricanes in the area’s history could strike Florida as Hurricane Milton is headed toward the state and mandatory evacuations along the west coast are underway.
There was a change in wind speeds over the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Just two weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in Florida with storm surge, rain and strong winds, the arrival of a new city named Milton is upon us.
There were advisories in effect for the area despite the storm having weakened considerably. A storm surge warning remained for the state’s west coast, from Bonita Beach northward to Middle of Longboat Key, including Charlotte Harbor, and from the Sebastian Inlet in the state to Altamaha Sound in Georgia, including the St. Johns River, the NHC said.
“Wherever the eye of the storm is, there will be impacts far beyond that,” he said Tuesday. You have a plan and you need to execute it. If you are going to leave, leave now. You have time today. Time will be running out very shortly if you wait any longer.”
At the last moment, a 90-year-old resident of the state of Florida decided at a gas station if he should head further inland, north or South from the city ofMilton.
Irving LaLonde said he has a house by the bay. “It has been nice all this time,” he said of the weather. “And then I turned on the television this morning, and oh my God, they said, ‘Get out of Englewood.’ ” He was unsure of which direction he should go.
Despite the bad weather and threat to their homes and possessions, many people taking shelter at hotels or evacue centers inSarasota are in good spirits. They got comfortable, chatted with other evacuees, played card games, drank wine and beer and prepared to ride out the worst of the storm with friends, families and pets.
Alan Staniforth, a sailing instructor who evacuated with his family from their home on Longboat Key, said that life is more important than possessions and that he can always recreate the things he had.
Before fleeing, the Staniforth family tried to fortify their house and put furniture and other possessions on higher ground. He told NPR he believed his home wouldn’t be usable after it was renovated four years ago.
“We’ll probably spend the next six to 12 months rebuilding,” he said. “It’s going to be a long road to recovery here for everybody, not just us. And I guess that’s the risk you take with living down fairly close to the ocean in Florida. It’s a great lifestyle, but it comes with related risk.”
The Impact of Hurricane Milton on Florida Beach and Boca Ratona-Lasinio and the Pinellas County Beaches
“I guess a lot of people are forward-thinking about what happens afterwards, and obviously we don’t know what’s going to happen, but you got to assume the worst and hope for the best,” Staniforth said. “But be pragmatic about it, and not freak out. Freaking out is not going to help anybody, and so that’s kind of where we are right now.”
NPR member stations in Florida are reporting on the impact of Hurricane Milton. For those that might lose power or cell service, note the frequency of your local station for your emergency radio needs.
“If the dunes are high enough, they might prevent the flooding from storm surge,” she says. “If they are not high enough to prevent the flooding, these systems can dissipate at least the waves, and protect the ecosystems and infrastructure behind them.”
As well, Olabarrieta says, beaches and dunes along the Florida coast that protect coastal communities are eroding — and recurring extreme storms like Helene and Milton are only increasing this damage.
Flooding and winds damaged thousands of homes, according to member station WUSF. At least 12 people near Tampa in Pinellas County died because of Helene.
The debris removal from barrier islands in Pinellas County has taken place over the last few weeks, and will continue until it is no longer safe.
Milton’s Destructive Power: How the Tropicana Field Roof of St. Petersburg, Florida, is torn to shreds
“Roads and buildings can funnel the flow, creating areas of water flow convergence,” she says. The roads provide little resistance to the flow, and storm surge may be able to come inland more easily.
The wind pushes the water against the land. “The land acts as a barrier to the water flow, and consequently the water accumulates in the coast.”
The shape of the bay and the intensity and track of the storm can affect how much surge there will be, according to a professor at the University of Florida.
“The continental shelf with the shallow water allows storms to form large storm surge which can cause havoc in flood-prone areas,” saysthomas wod, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Central Florida
Much of the region is at low elevation and naturally prone to flooding. That’s exacerbated by rising sea levels. Since 1946, water levels in Tampa Bay have increased 7.8 inches and the region could experience sea levels rise another 2 to 8.5 feet by 2100, according to a 2019 analysis by the Tampa Bay Climate Science Advisory Panel.
Clearwater and St. Pete are located in the state’s most densely populated county, Pinellas. Barrier islands line its Gulf coast.
But other flood defense projects have been vetoed by DeSantis. A project that would replace 30-year-old stormwater infrastructure in the city of Dunedin in Pinellas County, which sits between the City of Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico, was vetoed for the 2024–25 fiscal year. Power backups at sewer pumps, emergency generators for fire stations, and a theater from floodwater are among the Pinellas County flood defense projects that were vetoed.
The toll would have to be assessed during the daytime hours. But perhaps the most immediate visual expression of Milton’s destructive power was seen in St. Petersburg, where the roof of Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was torn to shreds, NPR member station WUSF reported. The fiberglass roof could be seen flapping in the wind. There is a construction site next to where a crane collapsed.
There were more homes and businesses without power overnight. The western part of the state has the highest number of power failures, and it was the cause of the three million customers without power by Thursday morning.