Clearwater, Florida — Standard Apartments was not in a mandatory evacuation zone, so there was no flooding when Hurricane Helen passed through the area. The situation changed early Thursday morning as residents enduring Hurricane Milton began seeing water rising in parking lots and on the ground floors of apartment buildings.
By 8 a.m., those who were unable to evacuate before the water rose to 6 to 8 feet were stuck in their second-floor units. Multiple calls were made to first responders, who used boats and high-water vehicles to rescue people trapped from the complex.
Blaze Media was with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials who were dispatched to the Tampa Bay area prior to the landing on Milton Island. FWC is Florida's law enforcement and research agency that protects Florida's famous wildlife and resources. FWC used swamp buggies to assist the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in removing people and pets from flooded areas.
Millions of people in Florida lost power and wind damage was widespread.
The water level was high enough to reach first responders' necks, but it was too shallow for large boats, making the task difficult. Swamp buggies had the important advantage of being able to carry more people in one trip, but were limited to shallower parts of the flooded zone.
Initially, the plan was to accept only residents who wanted to leave, as some residents living on the second floor expressed their desire to remain, but authorities raised concerns about electrical disruption due to water and the possibility of a fire. The change was made due to the announcement. An order was given to evacuate everyone from the apartment.
FWC, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Clearwater police and fire removed more than 450 people from the area within five hours.
Thursday's rescue effort in Clearwater was one of the few operations that required so many emergency personnel. Although Hurricane Milton was still a strong storm, it did not make landfall in Tampa Bay. Landing there would have been catastrophic as a 15-foot storm surge would have flooded not only the peninsula but also populated areas in downtown Tampa and its immediate vicinity. .
Milton made landfall just south of Sarasota County, showing how close Tampa Bay was to catastrophe. Although the worst-case scenario did not occur, millions of people in Florida lost power and wind damage was widespread. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Thursday morning said Power was restored to more than 630,000 accounts by 6 a.m.
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