SIESTA KEY, Fla. – Still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene, people on Florida’s west coast are being forced to prepare for another powerful storm as Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall by Wednesday.
In Siesta Key, which was hit by Helene’s storm surge, lifelong residents of the area are quite concerned about looming Milton.
“We were going to try and get out but then we saw the highways, and they’re backed up,” said resident Robert Humphrey. “We just gonna board up, hunker down and see what happens. Hope for the best.”
5 p.m. report:
Almost every street along Siesta Key has debris out in the front, waiting to be picked up.
With water from Helen’s storm surge entering homes and businesses, many residents had to gut them out.
“The surge is what scares us,” said Lee Jennings, operations manager at the Big Tiki Lounge.
The cleanup process was just getting started, and now it’ll soon be on pause as the clock is ticking.