Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall, Hurricane Helene Impacts Still Fresh
The American Red Cross is working nonstop, alongside our partners, to support the 83,000 people taking refuge in Florida evacuation shelters Wednesday night as Hurricane Milton slammed into the beleaguered state. Access to information, especially in times of disaster, is a service for communities in need. That’s why the Red Cross Emergency App and Website now share real-time service delivery sites, including financial assistance centers, recovery assistance sites, relief supply distribution sites and shelter locations.
This information is crucial, as it ensures that responders, partners and impacted communities understand where the Red Cross is deployed and what resources will be available. Without this critical information, our ability to deliver timely and effective aid could be delayed, potentially turning a coordinated relief effort into missed opportunities to help those in desperate need.
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm around 8:00 p.m. last night near the barrier island of Siesta Key, just outside of Sarasota. Maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour were reported, along with 5 - 10-foot storm surge and some areas receiving 12 - 18 inches of rain. More than 35 confirmed tornadoes – the largest number of tornadoes ever reported in a single day for the state – were spurred by Milton’s powerful landfall. Flash floods warnings remain in effect for millions today, as river gauges are at or above major flood stage.
· Across the state of Florida, more than 3.2 million customers – some 10 million people – are without electricity.
· Among the worst hit areas are coastal counties including Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota, as well as inland Hardee County.
· There were multiple reports of tornadoes and people trapped in the Wellington, Acreage, and Loxahatchee communities, as well as initial reports of 1,000 structures destroyed or sustaining major damage in east Florida communities near Port Saint Lucie.
· Milton remained a Category 1 storm as it progressed through the Florida Peninsula, with sustained wind speeds between 75 and 90 miles per hour as the storm exited the state. Heavy rainfall and high wind speeds will be felt along Florida’s east coast today.
· As many as 5 million people across more than 70 Florida counties were under some level of evacuation warning, leading to more than 83,000 individuals and 7,000 pets seeking refuge in nearly 300 Red Cross and partner shelters last night.
o The American Red Cross Emergency app processed over 2,300 NOAA /USGS alerts and sent 8.5 million push notifications to users providing just-in-time safety info in English & Spanish.
§ In Florida alone, the Emergency app processed nearly 1,600 NOAA/USGS alerts and sent 7.9 million push notifications to users providing just-in-time safety info in English & Spanish.
Urban Search and Rescue teams are already in hard hit communities – many still reeling from impacts of Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. The American Red Cross is working closely alongside state and government partners to identify immediate community needs and piece together a fuller account of overall damage and impact.
· As of this morning, more than 150 roads are closed in Florida, from Fort Meyers to Jacksonville, posing additional challenges for rescue workers, first responders, and individuals trying to leave evacuation centers to assess the extent of damage to their homes and businesses.
· When it is safe to do so, teams of Red Crossers armed with meals and snacks, water, relief supplies, clean up kits and more will begin canvassing communities in Emergency Response Vehicles.
· Until then, main priorities are providing safe, comfortable shelters for families who are unable to return home or have no home left to return to and providing reliable and consistent nourishing meals to those in our care in shelter facilities.
More than 700 Red Cross responders are on the ground in Florida, providing ongoing care to individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and working alongside partners to bring comfort and hope to those displaced by Hurricane Milton.
· Prior to landfall, Red Cross pre-positioned supplies to support as many as 100 post-landfall shelters and care for up to 30,000 people.
· With the extent of evacuation orders and families who heeded this safety guidance, additional supplies will be sent today to support 16,000 more people as evacuation centers begin to transition to longer term post-landfall shelters.
· We are moving a number of Emergency Response Vehicles on flatbed trucks from across the country to support Helene and Milton relief efforts. Once they arrive, drivers will be assigned, and the vehicles will be loaded with relief supplies and meals to be delivered to families in the communities hardest hit by these storms.
Milton is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year. People are overwhelmed with evacuating twice in two weeks and grappling with the uncertainty of how to move forward. And in communities hit by Helene, people are struggling to comprehend their new reality.
“I knew the Hurricane Helene was coming, and I knew I needed to find someplace to go,” says Dorothy Brooks. “But I couldn’t get a hotel, so I just stayed home.” But staying home became a life-or-death struggle.
“The storm surge came up so quickly,” she says, and was rushing like a river so I couldn’t open the door. I finally got a window open to get out of the house, but the water was over three-feet deep. I held onto the window frame looking for help and saw my neighbors being swept down the street by the strong current. One of my neighbors spent fourteen hours on the top of her pickup before she could be rescued.”
Eventually, a Coast Guard Humvee combing the neighborhood rescued her and brought her to the Red Cross shelter in Hudson, Florida.
“When you see the Red Cross, you know you are safe,” she says. “They’ve treated me so good since I’ve been here.”
This isn’t the first time Dorothy has been helped by the Red Cross. “I’m a military veteran,” she says, “and when I was shipped to Korea, I had just arrived and the Red Cross came to tell me that my brother had been in a bad car accident back in the states. They arranged everything for me to turn around and rush right back home to my family.”
“The Red Cross is always there to help us..“
“In fact,” she says, chuckling a bit, “they’re even spoiling me a bit. I’m 76-years-old, and they’re taking real good care of me.”
Photo by Marko Kokic/American Red Cross
Hurricane Helene
As Floridians struggle with the new damage from Milton, the Red Cross is continuing to work tirelessly in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee to provide shelter, food, water, relief supplies and comfort to those still coping with the unimaginable destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene. Helene’s destruction is spread across a huge area and we’re coordinating closely with local officials, government agencies and other nonprofits across the Southeast to reach communities every day.
· In western North Carolina and South Carolina, the heartbreaking damage and lack of connectivity has made it difficult to reach some communities, but with the help of partners we are gaining access to more neighborhoods to help people who previously have been cut off from everything. Red Cross teams are working to meet the unique needs for each community, such as finding shower facilities, providing potable water solutions, and serving warm meals as power remains an issue.
· In Georgia, a heavy influx of evacuees from Florida increased shelter populations to almost 400 individuals seeking refuge in one of 15 Red Cross and partner shelters. Today, detailed damage assessments and mobile outreach to delivery relief supplies, meals, water and clean-up kits will continue across 9 counties. Responders anticipate initiating a financial assistance program within a week.
· In Tennessee, Red Cross responders continue to support Multi-Agency Resource Centers in Washington and Carter counties, where storm survivors are able to access resources and information from a variety of relief organizations in a single location, helping to jumpstart recovery efforts.
· Dozens of emergency response vehicles are on the roads providing meals, water and supplies to those living without electricity and struggling to clean up their homes across the Southeast.
To support those affected by Hurricane Helene, some 3,100 Red Cross responders are working around the clock with dozens of partners to get help to people as quickly as possible. Across the 10 disaster relief operations in response to Hurricane Helene, the Red Cross and our partners have provided:
· More than 560,000 meals and snacks to people in need in shelters and along mobile feeding routes
· Almost 35,000 emergency relief supplies, including clean-up kits, to more than 7,700 households.
· Relief and recovery services to almost 24,500 individuals.
Tony was standing on a street in Cedar Key, Florida, amidst the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene. Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers have deployed to Florida to help those affected by the storm.
“Water was six-feet deep in my house,” Tony said. “The storm surge blew out the back wall of my house, and now it’s gone.”
Tony explained that Cedar Key is his home, and his friends there are like family.
“I’m going to rebuild,” Tony said. “The hurricane is bringing our community together, and we’re going to make it. But we need help from the Red Cross to recover.”
Photo by Marko Kokic/American Red Cross
As the climate crisis continues to worsen, it’s become increasingly common for the Red Cross to respond to multiple large disasters simultaneously – while also preparing for the next catastrophic impact.
· These back-to-back storms are examples of how the climate crisis is worsening and why communities are relying on the Red Cross for much needed support on a continual basis.
· We can’t do this alone. Disasters this large require a team effort and we rely on community partners and generous donors to ensure we can mobilize quickly when it matters most.
· To respond effectively, we maintain a large network of trained volunteers and disaster employees, as well as a fleet of response vehicles and warehouses stocked with relief supplies across the country.
· The Red Cross has been helping people since this onslaught of devastating weather began and will be supporting people in the weeks and months to come.
