{"id":113953,"date":"2024-10-14T06:58:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-13T23:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113953"},"modified":"2024-10-14T06:58:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-13T23:58:45","slug":"florida-neighbors-band-together-to-recover-after-one-two-punch-from-hurricanes-helene-and-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113953","title":{"rendered":"Florida neighbors band together to recover after one-two punch from hurricanes Helene and Milton"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>TAMPA, Fla. (AP) \u2014 When ankle-deep floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bubbled up through the floors of their home, Kat Robinson-Malone and her husband sent a late-night text message to their neighbors two doors down: \u201cHey, we\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The couple waded through the flooded street to the elevated front porch of Chris and Kara Sundar, whose home was built on higher ground, and handed over their 8-year-old daughter and a gas-powered generator. <\/p>\n<p>The Sundars\u2019 lime-green house in southern Tampa also became a refuge for Brooke and Adam Carstensen, whose house next door to Robinson-Malone also flooded. <\/p>\n<p>The three families met years earlier when their children became playmates, and the adults\u2019 friendships deepened during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. So when Helene and Hurricane Milton struck Florida within two weeks of each other, the neighbors closed ranks as one big extended family, cooking meals together, taking turns watching children and cleaning out their damaged homes.<\/p>\n<p>And as Milton threatened a direct strike on Tampa last week, the Malones, the Sundars and the Carstensens decided to evacuate together. They drove more than 450 miles (725 kilometers) in a caravan to metro Atlanta \u2014 seven adults, six children, four dogs and teenage Max Carstensen\u2019s three pet rats.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has, like, the chain saw or a tarp,\u201d Robinson-Malone said Sunday. \u201cBut really the most important thing for us was the community we built. And that made all the difference for the hurricane rescue and the recovery. And now, hopefully, the restoration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recovery efforts continued Sunday in storm-battered communities in central Florida, where President Joe Biden <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/harris-biden-hurricane-milton-election-84526011bf223902a04f41f59b7651b5\">surveyed the devastation<\/a><\/span>. Biden said he was thankful the damage from Milton was not as severe as officials had anticipated. But he said it was still a \u201ccataclysmic\u201d event for people caught in the path of the hurricane, which has been blamed for at least 11 deaths.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 800,000 homes and businesses in Florida remained without electricity Sunday, according to <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"http:\/\/poweroutage.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Poweroutage.us<\/a><\/span>, down from more than 3 million after Milton made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.<\/p>\n<p>Fuel shortages also appeared to be easing as more gas stations opened, and lines at pumps in the Tampa area looked notably shorter. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced nine sites where people can get 10 gallons (38 liters) each for free.<\/p>\n<p>While recovery efforts were gaining steam, a full rebound will take far longer.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis cautioned that debris removal could take up to a year, even as Florida shifts nearly 3,000 workers to the cleanup. He said Biden has approved 100% federal reimbursement for those efforts for 90 days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe (removal of) debris has to be 24\/7 over this 90-day period,\u201d DeSantis said while speaking next to a pile of furniture, lumber and other debris in Treasure Island, an island city near St. Petersburg that has been battered by both recent hurricanes. \u201cThat\u2019s the way you get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Close said rivers will keep rising for the next several days and result in flooding, mostly around Tampa Bay and northward. Those areas got the most rain, which came on top of a wet summer that included several hurricanes.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, residents unable to move back into their damaged homes were making other arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson-Malone and her husband, Brian, bought a camper trailer that\u2019s parked in their driveway. They plan to live there while their gutted home is repaired and also improved to make it more resilient against hurricanes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese storms, they\u2019re just going to keep happening,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we want to be prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Carstensens plan to demolish what\u2019s left of their flooded, low-slung home, which was built in 1949, and replace it with a new house higher off the ground. For the time being they are staying with Brooke Carstensen\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Sundar said he\u2019s questioning his plan to remain in Tampa until his children have all graduated from high school a decade from now. His house remains the home base for the families\u2019 kids, ages 8 to 13. On the wall there is a list of chores for them all, from folding laundry to emptying wastebaskets. Brooke Carstensen, a teacher, has helped the children through an extended period without school.<\/p>\n<p>The Sundars lost both their vehicles when Helene\u2019s storm surge flooded their garage, so they drove Robinson-Malone\u2019s car when they evacuated to Georgia. Arriving, exhausted after the 14-hour trek, Chris Sundar said to Robinson-Malone: \u201cThis is where community shines or it falls apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that night we got together and we all hung out,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>On Sunday back in Florida, they worked together to remove sticks and logs from a large oak limb that dangled over another neighbor\u2019s driveway. Brian Malone cut it up with a chain saw. <\/p>\n<p>Tackling recovery as a group has made it seem far less overwhelming, Brooke Carstensen said. The families share tips and ideas on a group text thread. The Sundars threw an impromptu 13th birthday party for her son at their house between the storms. And she found solace and laughter from Brian Malone\u2019s advice about rebounding: \u201cHow do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s why she wants to remain in Tampa, despite her concerns that Helene and Milton won\u2019t be the last storms. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do we live here in a place that\u2019s trying to destroy us?\u201d Brooke Carstensen said. \u201cWell, it\u2019s all the people that we have here.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n  window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n              appId : '870613919693099',\n          xfbml : true,\n          version : 'v2.9'\n      });\n  };\n  (function(d, s, id){\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n     js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n   }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-milton-florida-a39b7a04052e9cd9d0d8598d090ea54b\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TAMPA, Fla. (AP) \u2014 When ankle-deep floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bubbled up through the floors of their home, Kat Robinson-Malone and her husband sent a late-night text message to their &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113953\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113953\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}