Hurricane Milton rescue and relief crews ready to go "house to house" throughout Florida's Gulf Coast
TALLAHASSEE — More than 1,400 urban search-and-rescue crew members — and more than 100 swift-water boats — were staged throughout the state in advance of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall Wednesday night on Florida's Gulf Coast.
State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis told The News Service of Florida that crews from more than a dozen states, including California and Washington, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, were "waiting it out" to begin search-and-rescue operations as soon as possible.
Milton is projected to barrel into the Tampa Bay area and bring catastrophic storm surges in areas walloped by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 in Taylor County and caused widespread damage in other coastal areas as it moved up the Gulf of Mexico.
"We've got every corner of this state covered," Patronis said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
The teams include trauma surgeons, structural engineers and dogs used in search-and-rescue missions, Patronis said.
"So they will cover a lot of ground. … They will literally go from house to house in those areas that are most heavily affected," Patronis said.
The chief financial officer noted that Milton is expected to smack into the state almost exactly six years after Hurricane Michael barreled into the Panhandle as a Category 5 storm on Oct. 10, 2018, and caused at least 16 deaths.
As of 5 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said Milton was expected to make landfall Wednesday evening. It was a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of about 120 mph. At 6 p.m., the hurricane center said hurricane-force wind gusts had started to occur along the Gulf Coast.
State and federal officials have warned that Milton, which is forecast to cross the state as a hurricane before exiting on the Atlantic Coast, will cause widespread power outages, and likely will disrupt water, cellular-phone and sewer services, especially in the heavily populated Tampa Bay region.
In advance of Milton's arrival, millions of people were ordered to evacuate areas on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
President Joe Biden addressed reporters Wednesday evening as winds began whipping through the state. He noted that although Milton, which had been a Category 5 hurricane, was projected to weaken before making landfall, it was still expected to cause record storm surge and devastating winds.
"No one should be confused. It's still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century," the president warned.
Biden also addressed what he called "reckless" rumors spreading on social media about his administration's response to Helene and the preparation for Milton.
"Over the last few weeks there's been reckless and irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies of what's going on. It's undermining confidence in the people in Florida and the incredible rescue and recovery work that has been undertaken," Biden said. "Quite frankly, these lies are un-American."
Officials have been combating rumors spread on social media about Federal Emergency Management Agency's preparedness, as the agency continues to support Helene recovery efforts in Florida and hard-hit North Carolina and Georgia. Helene resulted in more than 230 deaths, including a dozen in Florida, and caused record flooding in portions of the South.
Biden accused former President Donald Trump of having "led this onslaught of lies" and said the "claims are getting even more bizarre."
"Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather. We're controlling the weather. It's beyond ridiculous. It's so stupid. It's got to stop," Biden said.
The president said he spoke with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"He's been very gracious. He's thanked me for all we've done. He knows what we're doing, and I think that's important," Biden added.
Biden assured Floridians that his administration would support the state's recovery from Milton.
"To the people of Florida and all the impacted states, we've got your back. We've got your back, and Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild," he said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Also on Wednesday, FEMA Administrator Deanna Criswell told reporters she was headed to Florida to help with response to Milton, which she called a "catastrophic" storm.
"The entire federal family is leaning forward for Milton's response," Criswell told reporters during a White House briefing. "I promise you, FEMA is ready."
Patronis cautioned property owners to be wary of "bad actors" preying on hurricane victims.
"I've been really hard on the bad actors that come out after the storm. I can't be hard enough and this can't be stressed enough. There's not a single individual that needs to get your signature after the storm. Even your insurance company will give you money without a signature. So I just would like to see people err on the side of caution," Patronis said.
Patronis also warned property owners not to enter agreements with "aggressive contractors" after the storm.
"They're going to be canvassing the neighborhoods in order to try to get a piece of your insurance claim," he predicted. "Do not let these predators get out there and take advantage of you while you're vulnerable."