A look at the big picture, Cajun firefighters, and how two restaurants fared.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: October 16, 2024
Host: A week after the direct hit, WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez brings you a roundup of the area’s robust recovery after Milton.
Ramon Lopez: Three hurricanes in one month. That’s the scary and sad reality for Sarasota and Manatee County residents. Milton was but the latest killer hurricane making landfall near Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm.
The storm brought over 100 mph winds, near-record storm surge, and a historic tornado outbreak. At last count, at least 24 deaths have been blamed on Milton, with a number of the victims killed by strong twisters that swept through the state ahead of Milton’s landfall.
Following Hurricane Helene — that was number two if you’re keeping count — officials worked hard to clean up as much debris as they could before Milton’s arrival. But unfortunately, it was impossible to clear everything. That’s why remnants like furniture and appliances can still be seen on Midnight Pass Road on Siesta Key, Casey Key and the other barrier islands.
Surrounded by the damage and debris left behind by hurricanes Helene and Milton, people across Sarasota and Manatee counties are facing the daunting task of cleaning up. But many initially lacked the electricity and fuel to do it. Just days after Hurricane Milton’s deadly impact, Florida continues to grapple with its aftermath, and Florida is just beginning the long road to recovery.
Hampered by roads blocked by fallen trees and flooding, fuel suppliers and power companies worked to get the infrastructure of daily life back up and running. As recovery efforts persist, a sense of normalcy remains elusive, But progress is finally being made, one week after Milton devastated the area. Many gas stations have reopened, as well as most grocery stores and restaurants. And crews from across the country are working to reconnect homes and businesses to the grid.
Sandra Tapfumaneyi
Sandra Tapfumaneyi, the Chief of Emergency Management for Sarasota County, provides an overall update and info on who you can turn to for help.
Sandra Tapfumaneyi: We have opened our disaster recovery center; This is a center that you can go to and speak to FEMA face to face about your recovery options and information. Also the small business administration will be there in addition to talk about low interest loans, both for businesses and for individuals. That location is now at the Sarasota municipal auditorium at 801 North Tamiami Trail. You can still apply to FEMA online as well; that is still available to you. Lastly, just wanted to give a report that we are under 29,000 now without power. FPL has been working hard to get all the power back up and running. I know it’s frustrating if you’re one of those that are still waiting, but they did tell us that we should be down to 95% of the way there by tomorrow. So that’s great news, and we will continue to provide you updates as we get them from FPL.
RL: In Sarasota, wind gusts reached 102 mph, tearing the roof off Concourse B at SRQ. But the busy commercial airport has reopened, as has Venice Airport, which saw small private planes flipped over.
Entertainment venues, like Florida Studio Theatre and Venice Theatre, quickly re-opened for business. But The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has canceled its show schedule for the rest of the year because of damage from Hurricane Milton.
The iconic hall was flooded, with some areas experiencing up to 4 feet of storm surge. The orchestra pit, kitchen, dressing rooms, and production offices all experience flooding. Electrical wiring was also impacted. Additionally, the roof sustained damage. Van Wezel anticipates reopening on Jan. 1, 2025.
You can always rely on the kindness of strangers. José Ramón Andrés Puerta, the Spanish-American chef, restaurateur and James Beard recipient, sent his World Central Kitchen workers to feed the hungry. The non-profit is devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. And members of Louisiana’s Livingston Fire Department, located just east of Baton Rouge, drove to Venice to provide hot meals to power providers, first responders and local citizens. On the menu: jambalaya and pastalya, which is spicy cajan spaghetti. A half dozen firefighters then headed out into the community to help the hardest hit areas with cleaning muck. We hear from Chef and Fire Chief Brian Murray and a grateful Venice firefighter
Brian Murray: As the first storm come through Helene we decided we needed to come help somebody and because normally we get hit and affected by the storms also so we get a lot of help. So we decided to pay it back because after Milton hit they asked us, “Yeah, please come south.” So we made contact with chief and we’ve ended up down here.
Venice Firefighter: Right around probably around 500+ meals today. This is a volunteer group of mostly firefighters, and they have taken it upon themselves to drive through the night to get here just to help Venice in their most needed times.
RL: Back-to-back blows from Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene caused unprecedented damage to Sarasota and Manatee County businesses, including many of our region’s most beloved restaurants, especially those dining establishments hugging our famous Gulf of Mexico coastline.
But drinks and dining can again be had at two well-known waterfront restaurants in Nokomis: Nokomo Sunset Hut on Dona Baym, and the Lagopoulos family’s Waterfront Grille and Steakhouse. The former was closed for five days after it lost power. With little storm damage, the latter started serving customers last Friday to those in need of diversion. We hear from Megan, Kokomo Sunset Hut’s general manager. Her Tiki Hut thatched roof survived.
Megan: We only got about, about nine or ten inches of water inside the actual building, but we had brazed everything and learned from Helene what to do. So we really didn’t have much damage outside of a little bit of roof. And then obviously, we had a boat in our seawall for a minute and then our dock, but outside of that, we didn’t really have any damage. It did okay. It did better than we expected, but also we need to repair it. So.
RL: That survived too?
M: Yes.
RL: Okay. How long were you closed?
M: About six, five days. Five days.
RL: You’re close to five days?
M: Yes, we didn’t have power, so we had to get power. We had to get new trucks. We had to get all the new food in because we started all over essentially.
RL: When did you reopen?
M: Today! Right now.
RL: Fantastic! Any good specials?
M: Not at the moment, no. We’re still working on this opening.
RL: So what do you think of this? Is this your first hurricane?
M: No, I’ve been here for many, many years. I’ve been through all of them through Charley.
RL: So how do you do with Helene?
M: Fine. Just got a lot of water.
RL: Same deal.
M: Yep.
RL: That’s great. Do you feel discouraged by what’s been going on?
M: No, I’ve lived here for a long time, so it is what it is. Just get through it and start over. Whatever.
RL: So this isn’t your first rodeo?
M: No. And I’m ready for more.
RL: Crystal Clark, who helps manage Waterfront Grille and Steakhouse, also known as Waterfront 2 by locals, said all is well there.
Crystal Clark: We got very lucky over here. We were only closed the day of Thursday. We were able to reopen Friday, and have been rolling ever since; we got very lucky. We are here for the long run with everybody. We’ve been here for 25 years and we hope to be here for another 25 or a lot more longer than that.
RL: This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.