The devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton is still being tallied as a swath of Florida comes to terms with damage from the unusual dual strike of storms in just two weeks.
President Joe Biden arrived Sunday to tour the hurricane damage. Crews continued to reconnect electricity in storm-stricken communities. And lines for gasoline seemed considerably shorter as more stations opened.
Alabama Department of Transportation workers have deployed to Florida to aid with cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Additionally, Alabama is sending a public health support team to North Carolina to assist in their Helene recovery.
“As many of our neighboring states continue recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Alabama is stepping up to offer our help in any way we can,” said Governor Ivey. “Alabama is a state where neighbors help neighbors in our own times of need, and we are proud to do exactly that for the states impacted by these merciless storms.”
The Alabama Department of Public Health is sending a nine-person support team to provide assistance to North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. The team is prepared to support efforts in mass care shelters where they will provide public health nursing services and other assistance.
The aid from Alabama comes as efforts continued Sunday in storm-battered communities in central Florida, where President Joe Biden surveyed the devastation. Biden said he was thankful the damage from Milton was not as severe as officials had anticipated. But he said it was still a “cataclysmic” event for people caught in the path of the hurricane, which has been blamed for at least 11 deaths.
The number of homes and businesses in Florida still without electricity dropped to about 500,000 on Sunday, according to Poweroutage.us. That was down from more than 3 million after Milton made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
Fuel shortages also appeared to be easing as more gas stations opened, and lines at pumps in the Tampa area looked notably shorter. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced nine sites where people can get 10 gallons each for free.
