Tag Archives: Hurricane Milton
‘Just Go Fishing’: Florida’s commercial fishermen getting back on the water
After being sidelined for more than a month following back-to-back hurricanes, the commercial fisherman in the historic Village of Cortez is back out hunting for grouper, blue crabs, bait fish, and everything in between. It was only a few days ago that Karen Bell, President of A.P. Bell Fish, said her team was able to go back out to sea and do what they love: fish. And the timing for some very bored fisherman couldn’t have been better. “All the grouper boats are out. They’ve only been out the last three or four days,” Bell said. The storms knocked Bell’s operations out for weeks. “A lot of damage. You know, I’ve got between my family and me, maybe 20 houses here, every one of them flooded, even mine, which sits high,” Bell said. “A.P. Bell’s roof is missing. It was like a double strike. At Star Fish, we lost all of our refrigeration equipment, the kitchens, the stoves, the ranges, and all the refrigeration stuff, so it took a little bit of time to get fixed.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:12
Historic Cortez Fishing Village continues work despite hurricane damage
The Cortez Fishing Village has weathered a lot, but Hurricanes Helene and Milton put them to the test. “I’ve seen other storms that hurt us in different ways, but this one hurt literally thousands and thousands of people,” said Kent Nixon, a stone crab fisherman who has been part of the Cortez Fishing Village for decades. Docks were damaged during Hurricane Helene and are now being replaced. Milton also damaged the roof of the A.P. Bell Fish Company’s fish house. Clean-up continues all around the fishing village as crews and boats work on the water. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:05
Gov. DeSantis Announces $1 Million To Rebuild Fishing, Aquaculture Infrastructure Damaged By Hurricanes
Governor Ron DeSantis announced today the allocation of $1,000,000 from the Florida Disaster Fund to the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida. The funding will be used to repair fishing and aquaculture infrastructure in the Big Bend region that was severely damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “The Big Bend’s fishing industry took a direct hit from hurricanes Debby and Helene, and so did the hardworking Floridians who make their living on the water,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today’s investments will help to rebuild critical waterside infrastructure and help get Floridians in the fishing and aquaculture industries back to full operations.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:09
Cortez fishing village works to recover after hurricanes Helene and Milton
There is devastation on every corner in Cortez Village, a quaint fishing village off the coast of Manatee County. Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit this community hard, and now they are working to pick up the pieces and preserve their historic village. Captain Kathy Fannon showed us the damage to her home. She said it is hard to see the reality that lies ahead. “We lost everything. Everyone on this block had four feet of water through their house, so we lost all the contents. We have absolutely nothing left inside,” Captain Kathy said. Captain Kathy’s family works in the fishing industry, and her daughter, Katie Tupin, lives across the street. Tupin said, “My dad runs a shrimping boat. He’s a commercial fisherman. I’ve been doing charters for 14 years and my mom for 25. Both lost everything during the storm. Video, more, >> CLICK TO READ<< 14:09
‘Boats can be replaced, but not a human’: Peoria fisherman shares crewmate’s memorable Hurricane Milton rescue from sea
A Coast Guard crew from a Miami base rescued a commercial fisherman who rode Hurricane Milton out inside a fishing cooler. Steven Hawley of Peoria owned a boat called “Capt. Dave” that now lies at the bottom of the sea. The vessel is part of his commercial fishing company off Florida’s Gulf Coast. Hawley wasn’t in Florida when Hurricane Milton hit, but his fishing crew was. On Monday, Hawley’s employee was riding into shore when the alternator and battery on Capt. Dave died about 20 miles from St. Petersburg. According to Coast Guard District 7, a rescue boat and helicopter crew lifted two people from Capt. Dave but left the watercraft in the ocean. On Wednesday, Hawley’s crew made an effort to bring Capt. Dave in before Hurricane Milton made landfall. Hawley said his crew dropped the captain off and rode into shore. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
Coast Guard rescues man off Longboat Key following Hurricane Milton
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter crew rescued a man, Thursday, approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key following Hurricane Milton. The aircrew brought the man to Tampa General Hospital for further care, after he was found clinging to a cooler wearing a life jacket at approximately 1:30 p.m. Airplane and helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater currently deployed to Aviation Training Center Mobile for storm avoidance, and Air Station Miami launched at approximately 5:30 a.m. to search for the missing captain. Monday, the captain of the fishing vessel Capt. Dave reported to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders, at approximately 12:40 p.m., he and a crew member were disabled approximately 20 miles off John’s Pass. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 21:27
Hurricane Milton carves a path of destruction across Florida; millions without power or water
Millions of Floridians from coast to coast are assessing the overnight destruction left by Hurricane Milton, which made landfall at Siesta Key off Sarasota as a Category 3 storm at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, punched across the state and exited the east coast near Cape Canaveral before dawn Thursday. At least 2.6 million homes and businesses were without power, St. Petersburg residents without water, and major damage was done in the Tampa area, where flash flood warnings were still in effect Thursday. St. Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service. St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Darien shrimpers brace for Hurricane Milton
Communities across the southeast are closely watching Hurricane Milton as it crosses the gulf, especially local counties close to the Florida border. While shrimpers in Darien brace for Hurricane Milton, they’re still recovering from the effects of Helene. Shrimping is a major industry for the area, shrimpers say any storm causes concerns for them. “It has all the shrimp boat owners and captains pretty nervous about everything,” said local shrimper Jamey Bennett. While recovering, these shrimpers say they’re preparing for what’s next. “Believe it or not, most of the boats at this dock didn’t even take the lines off from the other hurricane because we seen the other one was brewing,” said shrimper Dwight “Wynn” Darwin Gale. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:35
‘Life-threatening’ storm to remain major hurricane before Florida landfall, NHC says
Hurricane Milton remained a Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. As of 5 a.m., Hurricane Milton was 300 miles from Tampa, Florida, with sustained winds of 160 mph. It is moving east-northeast at 14 mph. The minimum central pressure is 907 mb. “Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida”, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. In the 5 a.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Milton had sustained winds of 160 mph, making it a strong Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:12
Milton remains an ‘extremely dangerous’ hurricane after weakening to Cat 4, forecasters warn
Hurricane Milton weakened slightly to a powerful Category 4 storm Tuesday morning while spiraling through the southern Gulf of Mexico and closer to Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Milton rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, peaking with rare, sustained winds of 180 mph and becoming the strongest storm to ever form this late in the Atlantic season. Now, the hurricane is moving east-northeast at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, NHC said in its latest update. However, forecasters warned that Milton’s change in strength doesn’t make it any less dangerous, adding that the storm will likely grow in size as it approaches Florida’s west coast and makes landfall Wednesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:46
Hurricane Milton strengthens into Category 4 as Florida prepares for evacuations, storm surge
Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline. The storm is expected to stay at about its current strength for the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Helene was also a Category 4 at landfall in northern Florida. Milton had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) over the southern Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane center said. Its center could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, and it could remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:27
