Siesta Key, Florida – When Hurricane “Milton” made landfall, Chris Fiore was eagerly awaiting the delivery of new appliances and furniture for her home. Just before Hurricane “Helene” hit, all the items in her home were submerged in water.
However, Hurricane “Milton” wreaked havoc on her plans once it hit Siesta Key, Florida, where she resides. During a visit by a Reuters reporter on Friday, October 11th, Fiore was seen using a broom to clear out the mud and seawater from the ground floor of her apartment. She had purchased this dream home four years ago.
“I will never give up,” Fiore said, pointing to the two-foot (60 centimeters) high water line left by the seawater on the walls earlier in the week. “I will redouble my efforts, consider installing hurricane-proof windows and doors, and find ways to keep the water out.”
This sentiment was echoed by several other residents of Siesta Key interviewed by Reuters that day. The area had experienced two major hurricanes within a span of two weeks.
Despite the double blow from “Helene” and “Milton,” everyone felt disheartened. However, even though they knew that there might be more and stronger hurricanes in the future, almost no one felt discouraged.
“Despite all the chaos, heaven is still paradise here,” Pat Hurst said. She and her husband Bill have been living in Siesta Key since 2011.
“That being said, cleaning up after one hurricane while preparing for another does bring a lot of stress.”
After the two hurricanes, residents of Siesta Key still loved their community. The area is depicted just like in Jimmy Buffet’s song, with low-rise homes and three-story apartments in pleasing shades of light pink, light green, or light blue, with many charming restaurants and bars downtown.
Following Hurricane “Milton,” streets a few blocks inland in the area were covered in a layer of fine white sand, and every household looked unrecognizable. Boats usually docked in the canal were tossed ashore, and the trash cans already filled with remnants from “Helene” were now piled high with debris left by “Milton.”
“Milton” was the fifth strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, rapidly intensifying from a Category 1 storm to a maximum Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours, though it had weakened to a Category 3 hurricane upon landfall. According to CBS News citing reports from Florida law enforcement, at least 16 people lost their lives due to “Milton,” and nearly 2.5 million households and businesses were still without power.
When asked if the government might consider discussing not allowing people to rebuild but instead unify to rebuild as hotels, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Friday, “The reality is that people work their whole lives to have a very nice living environment, and they have the right to make decisions about their property that they feel are appropriate.”
DeSantis added, “It is not the role of government to prohibit or compel them to handle their property or use their property in ways they feel are not suitable.”
Sherry Tom, 49, convinced her husband and three daughters to leave the cold winters of Pittsburgh and move to Siesta Key in 2021.
“This place is everything to me,” she said. “But I admit, I am concerned about living in fear of this happening again. However, if possible, we will stay.”
Mrs. Tom believes they may have to tear down the remaining house and rebuild from scratch. While she is unsure of how to accomplish this, she is determined to stay.
Marko Radosavljevic, 54, owns one of the earliest homes built by Siesta Key’s first developer, Frank Archibald. It is a beautiful coral green residence constructed with water-resistant mountain cypress wood. However, the house has still been impacted by water and wind in the past two weeks.
Radosavljevic bought the house in 2017. He said that as he cleared debris from the house, he didn’t even consider leaving this place with its “special island atmosphere.”
“I refuse to be driven away,” he said.