Milton Recovery – Sunday 10/13/2024
MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Oct. 13, 2024) – Manatee County continues to recover from Hurricane Milton on a Sunday with much needed assistance.
Residents are taking advantage of emergency Points of Distribution (PODs) across the county, featuring Meals Ready-to-Eat (MRE), water and tarps and other needed items. Items vary by location. Details can be found at mymanatee.org/PODS.
Manatee County has opened two Health and Wellness Centers to serve residents affected by Hurricane Milton at the following locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (subject to change):
1309 72nd St. E., Palmetto
5701 Marina Dr., Holmes Beach
Services include wound care and treatment and general wellness checks, Tetanus and Tdap vaccinations and additional support for hurricane victims.
Manatee County Public Works crews have made notable progress in reestablishing signalized intersections throughout the county. As of Sunday morning, 163 signals are operational with an additional 71 on generators and 21 on flash mode. The number of non-working signals has been reduced to 56, with work continuing today. Drivers are still advised to treat any intersection with non-working or malfunctioning signals as a four-way stop.
County Utilities customers are appreciative that water and sewer service has remained resilient through Milton. Despite lift stations and treatment facilities having to use generator power, service was maintained. A boil-water advisory for the Island communities (except for Longboat Key) has expired. There is no need to boil water before use for Manatee County customers.
The Lena Road Landfill is closed today, after days of accepting massive amounts of debris prior to and then right after Milton. The landfill will commence tomorrow with extended hours of operation: 6 a.m. to midnight, daily, until further notice.
Debris collection is already in high gear. With contracted crews doing first pushes through the county, cutting and bundling the trees in the right of way to ensure the roadways are open from edge to edge and making the pickup operations more efficient moving forward.
Manatee County staff has completed more than 75% of the initial “windshield assessments” of Hurricane Milton damage through the county and have identified the following:
Residential
Destroyed - 44
Major Damage – 2,098
Minor Damage – 1,710
Affected – 3,293
Dollar Loss - $223,816,993
Commercial
Destroyed - 2
Major Damage - 181
Minor Damage - 54
Affected - 130
Dollar Loss - $21,504,325
Federal disaster assistance is now available in the areas affected by Hurricane Milton from on Oct. 5, 2024, and continuing. There are several ways to apply to FEMA now:
Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov,
Use the FEMA App
Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service such as Video Relay Service, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance from Hurricane Milton is December 11.
Residents and visitors are reminded that Manatee County beaches, parks and preserves remain closed at this time to allow for adequate storm assessment and repairs until further notice.