(CNN)- One dark night, a fierce hurricane hits Florida. Less than two weeks later, another one broke her heart.
Helene’s strong winds, torrential rain and a wall of water killed 20 people in its path from south to north across the state, killing at least 17 more in Milton, causing sea surges of several feet. The storm made landfall with three months’ heavy rainfall in three hours in some areas, and a deadly outbreak of tornadoes moving from west to east.
The trail of destruction is vast, from the Gulf to the Atlantic. Hundreds of roads there are submerged, blocked by fallen trees or damaged and impassable. Exhausted emergency teams have rescued more than a thousand people. And the electrical grid, already vulnerable, collapsed, affecting millions of people.
Even in a state accustomed to experiencing severe weather, food and gasoline shortages, tangles of insurance paperwork and scattered debris from past hurricanes, Floridians now face back-to-back “once-in- “A-Ones”. Lifetime” storm.
Here are the latest news:
– There is a danger of floods due to rising rivers: Milton’s flooding left behind several swollen rivers that are slowing receding in Central and Northern Florida, as was seen during other tropical storms and hurricanes that have hit the state in recent years. High water is moving slowly across Florida’s flatlands, prolonging flooding and prompting multiple rescue efforts that continued Saturday. Areas along the Hillsborough River downstream near Tampa, which were at widespread flood levels Saturday morning, could see more flooding in the coming days, CNN meteorologists said. The Alafia River in Lithia, east of Tampa, exceeded flood level this Thursday and rose to more than 7 meters this Friday. The Anclote River north of Clearwater and the St. Johns River between Orlando and Daytona Beach, which are near new all-time highs, are expected to remain at high flood stage through the weekend. Many of the more than 1,200 people rescued after landslides in Milton remain trapped in flooded homes.
– Millions of people are still deprived of electricity: The number of customers still without power in Florida dropped by more than a million between Thursday morning and Friday afternoon, a sign of progress as energy companies are working to restore power across the state. But according to PowerOutage.us, there were still fewer than 2 million people without power early Saturday. A blackout in Sanibel, Florida, caused the sewer system to shut down on Friday, prompting the city manager to urge residents not to use their toilets or showers.
, Petrol shortage continues across the state: Gasoline was hard to come by in the Tampa Bay area as more than three out of every four area gas stations closed due to fuel shortages Friday afternoon, according to a Tampa Bay price tracking platform. Across Florida, approximately 30% of gas stations ran out of fuel, with 77.5% of those cases reported in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. Gov. Ron DeSantis said state officials were working to distribute the fuel “as quickly as possible,” adding Friday that the state still had 1 million gallons of gas stockpiled.
– Reopening of airports, ports and theme parks: Tampa International Airport has reopened after suspending service for three days, while Sarasota Bradenton International Airport remained closed Friday. The Coast Guard has reopened some Florida ports as well as several ports in Georgia and South Carolina, although many Florida ports remained closed Friday. Meanwhile, Walt Disney World, Aquatica Orlando, Discovery Cove and SeaWorld Orlando theme parks have returned to welcome visitors.
DeSantis said Friday that cleanup crews are working on a “24/7 operation” to clear debris in Milton-hit Florida over the weekend, as the state tries to speed up the process. “It’s typical for a major hurricane to sometimes take a year to clear debris,” DeSantis said. “I don’t think it makes any sense. I don’t think it’s good for recovery.
Crews are having to deal with thousands of downed trees, some of which are entangled in power lines. Florida’s largest power company, Duke Energy, has warned people who want to remove the debris themselves about the possibility of hidden lines under the debris.
“We are encouraging them to stay away from debris where there potentially will be any type of overhead wires,” Melissa Seixas, Florida president of Duke Energy, told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Friday. “They don’t necessarily shine. They don’t necessarily whistle. But they are a silent killer and are deadly to people who are not trained to handle them.
Meanwhile, Florida officials are urging people to be wary of financial predators when hiring Milton-related repair services.
“The continued impacts of Hurricane Helen and Hurricane Milton have caused severe property damage in many areas of the county,” Pinellas County Consumer Protection said in a public notice Thursday.
“Beware of all-night contractors who take deposits and do little or no work,” the notice said. “Avoid dealing with anyone going door-to-door asking for work; Take the opportunity to check them out first.
Florida consumer protection teams encourage those who want to donate money to recovery, “to determine how much of your contribution goes to the cause and what portion goes to administrative and administrative expenses, Request a copy of the charity’s financial report.”
President Joe Biden will visit parts of Florida affected by Milton on Sunday, the White House said Friday.
FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell said the agency has enough funding to “support the immediate needs” of people dealing with the effects of both Helen and Milton, but additional funds will soon be needed.
“We’re evaluating daily with our team and with Congress to see to what extent this is going to end, we’re evaluating when we need additional funding,” Criswell said at a news conference this Friday. “We’ll need it, it’s just a matter of knowing when.”
He encouraged survivors to apply for assistance with temporary shelter and long-term recovery costs, adding that FEMA would work with affected communities to clear debris from both storms.
The American Red Cross said its teams were searching for missing people after Milton passed through Florida, with some people unable to contact loved ones due to frequent power outages and limited internet connectivity.
The organization said people who have trouble contacting family and friends can submit requests through the Red Cross website. This Saturday, its teams continued to search for missing people after Hurricane Helene passed through Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Florida.
This Thursday, the Red Cross said it was helping assist 83,000 people seeking refuge in Florida evacuation shelters.
“As the situation improves, dozens of emergency response vehicles will begin traveling through affected areas, delivering food and relief supplies,” the nonprofit organization said in a news release.
CNN’s Andy Rose contributed to this report.