ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than 24 hours after Hurricane Milton slammed the state, Floridians are examining the damage caused by the Category 3 storm, including former Pennsylvania resident Kate Bastian, who now lives in Orlando.
“Coming from the north, it's very much like a snowstorm, but we don’t have the snow that stays a long time, it's just the rain that floods,” Bastian said.
However, the slight difference in precipitation can have a huge impact. Bastian drove around her neighborhood on Thursday to see the extent of the damage, noting there were multiple trees down and flooded roads which made it difficult to get around.
“I’m currently sitting in my car, getting some air conditioning and charging my phone because we’ve been out of power since 4:30 this morning.”
The intense winds from the storm toppled trees and disrupted power lines, leaving more than three million Floridians in the dark on Thursday, according to power outage maps from Duke Energy and the Florida Power and Light Company.
“Our winds were probably like 70, 80 miles per hour last night, it felt like our house could have blown away but luckily it didn't,” Bastain described.
And despite the power being out, Bastian says she got lucky, only sustaining minor flooding and damage.
“My backyard’s just a little flooded with some tree limbs back there. I mean it's been raining for two to three days prior to this anyway, so my backyard probably has a good foot of rain.”
And while Orlando wasn’t hit as hard by Hurricane Milton, Bastian says it’s still important to prepare. Part of that preparation included filling bags with sand and dirt to prevent flooding in her home.
“We have water in our bathtub in case we need to wash any dishes or any clothes. I’ve got four cases of water…My gas tank was filled on Sunday," she said.
Now it’s a waiting game as residents are unsure when their power will return. Crews are currently working to restore power to the affected areas. However, the Florida Power and Light Company Website states that the restoration is, “as conditions allow,” considering the extensive damage caused in some areas which may prevent crews from safely working on power lines or even accessing them.
“The worst is not having the air conditioning. Luckily all the windows are open and it’s only about 80 degrees right now,” Bastian said.
Until power is restored Bastian says the community is working together to weather the aftermath of the storm.
“The community helps, we’re all very close down here,” she said.