A Siesta Key homeowner says the whole first level of his home was destroyed by Milton, which made landfall there as a Category 3 hurricane—and still, he considers himself one of the lucky ones.
Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update on the Hurricane Milton cleanup efforts Saturday morning, announcing that power has been restored for 2.4 million homes. About 1.6 million remain in the dark.
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WATCH HEREGas has been hard to come by in parts of the state. Florida Highway Patrol troopers are assisting gas tankers on their way to the Tampa Bay area.
In Palm Island, NBC6 spoke to Jim Muszynski, who came to Florida from Chicago in 2019, running away from the cold.
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But his home, an architectural jewel, has now been battered twice by the elements in just weeks.
In his neighborhood, debris is still around from Hurricane Helene. Milton was supposed to be worse, with an expected 15-foot surge that was closer to 8-10 feet.
"Since we were the eye of the storm, the water was pushing out to the Gulf instead of pushing in, so that saved us,” Muszynski said.
But there is still extensive damage inside his house.
"The whole first level is destroyed,” he said.
Walls have been cut out and furniture tossed out as the rebuilding begins.
Muszynski considers himself lucky because his house is three floors. He says many of his neighbors have old-school, Florida ranch-style homes, which are just a single floor.
"All the single-floor ranch homes are gone," he said.
