Florida counts cost of Hurricane Milton amid political storm

FORT PIERCE/ST PETERSBURG, Florida — Florida on Friday (Oct 11) was clearing downed trees and power lines and mopping up flooded neighbourhoods after Hurricane Milton roared through leaving at least 16 people dead.

While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, one of many states hit by Hurricane Helene about two weeks ago, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people.

"It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do," said Chase Pierce, 25 of west St Petersburg, who, with his girlfriend, saw transformers blow up, sparks fly and a power line fall in the backyard.

The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers alone up to US$100 billion (S$131 billion), analysts say.

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The White House pledged government support as the full extent of the damage was still being surveyed.

But Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polling ahead of the Nov 5 presidential election, attacked his opponents for their handling of storm recovery efforts.

"The federal government ... has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina," he said on Thursday. North Carolina was hard-hit by Helene, and Trump faces a tight battle against Harris there.

Harris, who has said Trump is spreading lies about the government's response, hit back at the politicisation of the issue during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.

"Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games," she said, without naming Trump.

Politicians of both stripes are deeply aware of how Republican President George W. Bush's approval ratings fell after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005 and never recovered from a response deemed inadequate by many at the time.

The Biden administration said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will need additional funding from Congress, where the Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate, and urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to act.

Deadly tornadoes

Floridians say they came through a double disaster.

While Milton came ashore on the state's western coast on Wednesday evening, some of its worst havoc was wrought more than 100 miles (160 km) away along the state's eastern shore.

There were at least 16 hurricane-related deaths, CBS News cited the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as saying.

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In St. Lucie County, an advance flurry of tornadoes killed several people, including at least two in the senior-living Spanish Lakes communities, according to local officials.

Between Siesta Key and Fort Myers Beach, peak water levels reached 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to three metres) above ground level, according to a preliminary analysis posted by the National Hurricane Centre.

Some 2.75 million homes and businesses in Florida overall were without power late on Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.

Some have been waiting days for power to be restored after Hurricane Helene hit the area.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned on Thursday that although the state had avoided the "worst-case scenario," the damage was still significant.

ALSO READ: Hurricane Milton leaves at least 10 dead, millions without power in Florida