Hurricane Milton aftermath: Residents in Florida assess damages

  • 16 hours ago

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Transcript
00:00In the days after Hurricane Milton made landfall, the United States Weather Service issued 126 tornado warnings in Florida.
00:08Spanish Lakes, a close-knit retirement village, was the site of not one but two tornadoes, the second reaching winds of up to 220km per hour.
00:19And I was lit on my knees next to my freezer looking up and I watched the roof of my house blow up and then I watched the tornado was going over right at the same time.
00:33When the wind stopped, Henry Pierce fled to find his neighbours.
00:38And I found them, he was passed, but she was still alive at the time and I helped get the roof off her legs with a couple of policemen and they took her away.
00:53It's a tragedy that has left the community reeling and faced with a daunting clean-up.
01:00Here in this beachfront town of Englewood, residents were still removing the debris from Hurricane Helene when Milton arrived.
01:08So these are the cut marks for where we had to remove the drywall for Hurricane Helene, so that's the new watermark from Milton.
01:18Florida is accustomed to hurricanes, but the frequency of the storms, made more powerful by climate change, has left even the most storm-hardy weary.
01:28Some are questioning whether to rebuild, or whether they can stay at all.
01:33It's the most wonderful community I've ever lived in and it's really hard to make those decisions right now. We don't know, we can't decide yet.
01:40Residents' issues are compounded by skyrocketing home insurance and limited access to federal aid.

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