Floridians continue to clean up from Hurricane Milton, with more than 1 million people still without power

Florida residents who ran hundreds of miles to escape Hurricane Milton They made slow journeys home on congested highways, tired from their long journeys and the cleanup that awaited them, but thankful to be back alive.

“I love my house, but I’m not dying in it,” Fred Newman said Friday as he walked his dog outside a rest stop off 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. Heeding local evacuation orders ahead of the storm, they drove nearly 500 miles to Destin in the Florida Panhandle. Neighbors told the couple the tornado destroyed their carport and caused other damage, but Newman shrugged, saying their insurance should cover it.

About 30 miles north in Zephyrhills, a CBS News crew along with the Pasco County Fire Rescue team waded through the water to make sure everyone got out of their homes safely.

“These are all brand new houses. They were all built within the last year and a half to two years, so they obviously went a little higher off the ground, and they’re still fine, but … the original houses in this neighborhood are suffering the effects of three hurricanes,” one rescuer told CBS News.

The golf course community faced flooding from Hurricanes Debbie, Helen and Milton, leaving already saturated land with little room to handle even more water.

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

“I’m not going to take a chance on that,” Lee Esenbaum said. “It’s not worth it.”

On Saturday, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state of Florida, which makes federal funds available to affected individuals in the following counties: Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duvall, Flagler, Glades, Hardy, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Ind. River, Lake, Lee, Manadi, 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 Indians of Florida.

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

At least 23 people were killed when Milton tore through central Florida on Wednesday, flooding barrier islands and tearing roofs off. Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium and creates deadly tornadoes.

Officials say the numbers would have been worse had it not been for the widespread evacuations.

The fresh devastation caused by Hurricane Helen two weeks ago probably caused many to flee.

“Helen may have been a stark reminder of how vulnerable some areas are to storms, especially 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 lead to behavioral change in future storms.” “

About 1.4 million customers in Florida were without power Saturday, according to Find Energy. The White House said 50,000 workers from across the United States were working to restore power.

“It’s ridiculous. We need power here. We need help here,” said Palm Beach Gardens resident Mia Watson.

The cyclone caused unexpected damage

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

But as the cyclone began to hit the state Wednesday afternoon, he stood outside his home watching. Cyclone Loomed in the sky. He took a video on his phone. The pressure dropped and his wife said her ears were popping. It was time to go inside.

The twister shattered windows in the home, tore off roof shingles, tore a tree from the ground and scattered branches and other debris across the yard. Two days later, Brassell put on safety glasses and used a chainsaw to clean up the damage.

“Hurricanes are not an event for us,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for an F-3 tornado, the whole thing would have been an event for us.”

It’s one of dozens Cyclone as coined by Milton The storm hit southern Florida far from where it 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’s drive 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 on the day the storm hit.

Once the review is complete, the storm could crack the all-time top-10 list for most hurricanes by hurricane.

One of those twisters missed Tom Peruzzi’s house, but it easily overthrew his boat.

“We went and stayed in the bathroom, our concrete bathroom,” he told CBS News. “And as soon as it completely shook, everything shook. When we came 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 safety threats including downed power lines and standing water that could hide hazardous materials.

“We’re in a period now where you have preventable deaths,” DeSantis said Friday. “You have to make the right decisions and know that there are risks out there.”

Tom Hanson contributed to this report.