Energy shortages hamper Hurricane Milton cleanup efforts in Florida, with more than 1 million still without power

Retrieved from Floridian Hurricane MiltonMany of whom were returning home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as fuel shortages hit the state.

In St. Petersburg, many people lined up at a station that ran out of gas, hoping it would arrive soon. Among them were Daniel Thornton and his 9-year-old daughter Magnolia, who arrived at the station at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.

“They told me they had gas coming but they didn't know when it would get here,” he said. “I have no choice. I have to sit here all day until I get gas.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state has opened three fuel distribution sites and plans to open several more. Residents can get 10 gallons each for free, he said.

“Certainly as power is restored…and the Port of Tampa opens up, you'll see fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option,” DeSantis said.

About one in three gas stations There were still shutdowns across the state on Saturday, with many unable to function as they were still without power, hampering those that remained open.

DeSantis said 37 million gallons of gas arrived at Florida ports on Saturday.

“We have the Florida Highway Patrol that will take the tankers from the port to the respective service stations,” DeSantis said.

Tensions rose during a long wait at a gas station north of Tampa.

“They were fighting like a fist fight,” gas station security guard Tootie Jones told CBS News. “One girl hit another girl with a car.”

In the community of Brandon, east of Tampa, a woman said she had been waiting in line for gas for two hours.

Milton killed at least 23 people, flooded barrier islands, tore off roofs as it tore across central Florida on Wednesday. Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium And spawns deadly tornadoes.

Officials say the toll could have been worse had the mass evacuation not been carried out. Overall, more than 1,000 people have been rescued in the wake of the storm as of Saturday, DeSantis said.

The still-fresh devastation caused by Hurricane Helen just two weeks ago probably forced many people to flee.

“Helen probably provided a stark reminder of how vulnerable certain areas are to storms, particularly coastal areas,” said Craig Fugate, who served as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Barack Obama. “When people see firsthand what can happen, especially in neighborhoods, it can change behavior during future storms.”

More than 1.2 million customers in Florida were without power Saturday evening, according to Find Energy. The White House said 50,000 workers, many across the United States, are working to restore power.

CBS News toured the hard-hit community of Valrico, east of Tampa, on Saturday, where floodwaters engulfed the entire area.

Terry Rudd and his family are now returning to see what is left of their home.

“It's going to be a mess here to try to rebuild,” Rudd said.

The Rudd family lost a car, and the floor of their house caved in.

“We're going to cry, we're going to cry a lot after this,” said family member Tiffany Nagy. “Our love will always be in this family.”

Many Florida residents, meanwhile, were grateful to be back alive.

“I love my house, but I'm not dying in it,” Fred Newman said Friday while walking his dog outside a rest stop on Interstate 75 north of Tampa.

Newman and his wife live in Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a powerful, Category 3 hurricane. Obeying local evacuation orders ahead of the storm, they drove nearly 500 miles to Destin in the Florida panhandle. Neighbors told the couple the hurricane destroyed their carport and caused other damage, but Newman shrugged, saying their insurance should cover it.

About 30 miles north of Zephyrhills, a CBS News crew joined Pasco County Fire Rescue teams as they waded through the water to make sure everyone got out of their homes safely.

“These are all brand new houses. They were all built in the last year and a half to two years, so they've definitely gone a little higher on the ground for them and they're still good but … the original houses in this neighborhood are the ones that suffered the consequences of three hurricanes,” one rescuer told CBS. told the news.

The golf course community experienced flooding from Hurricanes Debbie, Helen and Milton, leaving the already saturated grounds with little room to handle more water.

Lee and Pamela Essenberm evacuated their home in Palmetto, on the southern tip of Tampa Bay, fearing that Milton could hit as a catastrophic Category 4 or 5 storm.

“I wasn't going to take a chance on it,” Lee Essenbaum said. “It's not worth it.”

On Saturday, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state of Florida that makes federal funds available to those affected in the following counties: Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardy, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough. , Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. John's, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia and Miccosukee Tribes of Florida Indians .

Assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property damage, and other programs to help people and businesses recover after Milton.

“This is ridiculous. We need power here. We need help here,” said Palm Beach Gardens resident Mia Watson.

The tornado caused unexpected damage

Tony Brazale, a diving boat captain who has lived in his home in Wellington, southeast Florida, for 10 years, wasn't worried about Hurricane Milton. The center of the storm was forecast to make landfall on the opposite side of the peninsula and then cross the state well north of his family.

But as the hurricane began to hit the state Wednesday afternoon, he stood outside his home watching Tornado hidden in the sky He took a video on the phone. The pressure dropped, and his wife said her ears were popping. Time to go inside.

The twister shattered home windows, tore off roof shingles, uprooted a tree and scattered branches and other debris in yards. Two days later Brazale wore safety glasses and used a chainsaw as he cleaned up the damage.

“The hurricane was a non-event for us,” he said. “If it hadn't been for an F-3 tornado, the whole thing would have been a non-event for us.”

It was one of dozens Tornadoes produced by Milton It hit southern Florida where the storm made landfall near Sarasota. One of them killed at least six people in the Spanish Lakes Country Club village near Fort Pierce, about an hour north of Wellington.

Meteorologists believe there may have been at least 38 tornadoes associated with Milton. The National Weather Service is still reviewing initial reports, which could take weeks, but issued 126 tornado warnings for the state the day the hurricane hit.

When the review is complete, the storm could crack the all-time top-10 list for most tornadoes caused by a hurricane.

One of these twisters narrowly missed Tom Perucci's house, but it easily overthrew his boat.

“We went to the bathroom, our concrete bathroom and stayed there,” she told CBS News. “And the whole thing shook, just everything shook. And when we got out, I took it seriously. I thought I was ready. I'm ready for anything, not a tornado.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis warned people not to let their guard down, however, citing ongoing safety threats, including power lines and standing water that could hide dangerous objects.

“We're now in a period where your fatalities are preventable,” DeSantis said Friday. “You have to make the right decisions and know that there are dangers out there.”

Tom Hanson contributed to this report.