Hurricane Milton made landfall last night at 8:10 pm at Siesta Key near Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast. After its unprecedented strengthening over an 18 hour period on Monday from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm with 180 mph winds, it ultimately came ashore as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds. Milton then roared through Central Florida overnight as a Category 1 storm with winds up to 100 mph, a significant storm surge, and bringing more than 12 inches of rain in many communities. (St. Petersburg received more than 18 inches of water in a 24 hour period including 5 inches in one hour on Wednesday night).
By Thursday morning, Hurricane Milton finally headed out to sea on Florida’s East Coast, which on Wednesday had experienced dozens of strong Milton-related tornadoes. More than 3 million Floridians are currently without power and numerous houses were destroyed or heavily damaged, either by flooding or from the significant winds. Initial estimates suggest that this storm may cost between $35 billion and $175 billion, which would rival Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Milton came just under two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which partially overlapped the geographic area and brought some damage to the very same parts of Florida, as well as North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and southern Virginia. The NECHAMA response team is currently stationed near Asheville, North Carolina and they are all safe.
As was the case with Hurricane Helene, there is an immediate and pressing need for virtual volunteers to do intake for Crisis Cleanup, the non-profit disaster management platform that many emergency responders rely on. We are anticipating thousands more calls will need responses, due to the combination of Milton’s strength and the heavily populated area in which in hit. Additionally, many homes were already affected by Helene and Milton will undoubtedly make things worse for those families and homes.
To register as a virtual volunteer, please head HERE for our combined Milton/Helene virtual volunteer form. We are also coordinating our long-term response to Helene and you may register to volunteer on-site in North Carolina at the same link.
Helene and Milton’s combined storms come with an exceedingly high price tag and will be in the top 10 most expensive disaster repair efforts in the history of the United States. Donations will provide comfort, stability, and much-needed assistance to the victims of natural disasters. Please consider making a donation today!
As NECHAMA continues to live out our cornerstone value of Tikkun Olam (repair of the world through action) we are keeping all those in harm’s way in our thoughts, prayers, and action. We wish for a calm end to Hurricane Season 2024 and we are committing to providing as much relief as we can.
Thank you for your everlasting support,
The NECHAMA Staff