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    • Hurricane Milton devastated beaches in Florida: damage is still being assessed
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    Hurricane Milton devastated beaches in Florida: damage is still being assessed

    Seren Anwen Posted on

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    SIESTA KEY, Fla. – Millions are out of power, the baseball stadium’s roof is blown off and the world-famous Salvador Dali Museum is closed – all thanks to Hurricane Milton. But none of that stopped James and Jessica Dupont from taking their four children to the beach.

    As the sun rose into the blue sky less than a day after landing, James dug his toes in the white sand and watched their young children play. Their house was essentially untouched, he said, but it was too hot to sit inside.

    “It’s nicer out here,” he said, as the rolling waves crashed on the shore and the seagulls squawked overhead.

    Their trip to the beach underscores a small wave of possible good fortune for Sarasota County after the storm: Many of the area’s 35 miles of pristine beaches, visited by 6.5 million tourists from across the U.S., may have been spared Milton’s blow.

    “Initial observations indicate that public beach parks, including Siesta Beach, do not appear to have been significantly impacted,” county spokeswoman Genevieve Judge told USA TODAY. But she warned that Sarasota County is “still in the process of assessing our local beaches for direct damage and impacts.”

    More than 3 million people remained without power after Milton hit the region as a Category 3 storm on Thursday. And while there are still many pieces to be picked up — such as the remains of the roof of Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays — it’s a comfort to residents to know that some of Florida’s most popular attractions are not were destroyed.

    Two weeks ago, several beaches were “significantly affected” by Hurricane Helene, the judge said, including North Jetty Park, Turtle Beach Park and Caspersen Park.

    Many areas were hit hard

    Across Florida, the storm left behind flooded roads, uprooted trees and destroyed buildings. On hard-hit Siesta Key, where the storm made landfall, many Helene homes and buildings were heavily damaged two weeks ago, and some residents had just finished cleaning up after the storm when Milton hit the island.

    Sarasota County Emergency Management Director Sandra Tapfumaneyi said teams were still assessing the damage and catching up on the response to emergency calls made Wednesday evening during the peak of the storm.

    Drone photos taken Thursday morning on Siesta Key show flooded neighborhoods, fallen trees and large items such as furniture strewn across streets.

    Top beaches hit by Hurricane Milton

    Several of Florida’s top-rated beaches lie directly in the path of Hurricane Milton, and authorities in the area are still assessing the damage from the storm surge.

    Speaking to CBS News Thursday morning, Tapfumaneyi said barrier islands like Siesta Key and coastal areas around Venice may have suffered the worst of the storm surge – about 7 to 8 feet.

    Other famous beaches that suffered the devastating storm surge from Milton on Florida’s west coast include Venice, Anna Maria Island and Lido Key Beach just north of Siesta Key.

    Downtown St. Petersburg Crane collapses into building housing Tampa Bay Times

    But Tapfumaneyi reassured affected communities that the storm surge was not as severe as predicted.

    “Overall, it appears that the storm surge predicted at this altitude may not be as large as was thought,” Tapfumaneyi said on CBS Mornings. “This is great news.”

    Power outage map 3 million Floridians without power after Hurricane Milton

    MLB stadium roof damaged

    Destructive winds from Hurricane Milton damaged the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, late Wednesday night. Officials had converted the ballpark into a base camp for emergency responders and set up rows of green cots.

    Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the stadium would serve as a base camp for 10,000 people for debris removal operations and first responders. Footage from local television stations and photos shared on social media showed part of the stadium’s roof being torn off in high winds.

    St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told ABC News that authorities were in contact with people at the stadium and confirmed they were safe. WFTS-TV reported that there were no injuries.

    ZooTampa animals are safe after being housed overnight

    ZooTampa staff moved about 350 animals into hurricane shelters and a storm “ride-out team” remained at the zoo overnight Wednesday, Tiffany Burns, senior director of animal programs at ZooTampa, told USA TODAY Thursday morning.

    Overall, the 1,000 animals at the Tampa Zoo were safe Thursday, with many staying in their usual night houses. But the zoo was without power and “suffered some damage” from the strong winds, spokeswoman Sandra Torres told USA TODAY.

    Overnight Wednesday, the zoo’s six orangutans shared their nighttime home with birds they had never seen before, Burns said.

    The “very intelligent, very intuitive” orangutans were fascinated by being near their new neighbors, and this allowed some of their “different personalities” to emerge, Burns said.

    Burns told USA TODAY Thursday morning that everyone – human and animal – at the zoo was safe after a “very long night” for the ride team.

    World famous marine laboratory hit

    The Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, whose facilities are located at the Anna Maria City Pier, took a direct hit from Milton.

    The aquarium had been closed since late September as preparations began for possible damage from Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida on September 27th. It remains closed for now.

    The aquarium’s last post

    Salvador Dalí Museum closed

    The art museum dedicated to Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, located just feet from the water in St. Petersburg, Florida, was closed all week because of Hurricane Milton. The museum will remain closed Friday and has not yet released information about when it will reopen.

    None of the artwork in the building was damaged by Hurricane Milton, but the museum’s iconic exterior dome suffered “minor damage,” public relations director Alexandria Hurley told USA TODAY.

    “Nothing has impacted the art collection,” Hurley said in an email Thursday, adding that museum staff was “grateful” that all of the art “remained safe and intact following Hurricane Milton.”

    Dalí, who lived from 1904 to 1989, is one of the most famous painters of the 20th century Surrealist art movement, and his paintings are among the best known in museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C

    Like many other cultural and educational institutions in the Florida cities of Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa, museum officials said online they hope the community remains safe.

    “Stay safe, stay surreal,” reads the Milton updates page on the museum website.

    After Hurricane Milton? Sign up for USA TODAY’s Climate Point newsletter for exclusive weather analysis.

    Contributor: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY

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    Seren Anwen
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