'If Helene was an animal, I think Milton was a monster': Maritimers impacted by Hurricane Milton deal with aftermath
After a sleepless night, Eric Bungay, a Nova Scotian who moved to Florida nearly 30 years ago, is cleaning up Thursday.
“I have never seen anything like the last two weeks. Helene was an animal of a storm and if Helene was an animal, I think Milton was a monster,’ said Bungay.
His roof was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene just weeks before Milton and requires a replacement.
“We had a tarp,” Bungay said. “A roofing company nailed it up. I put sandbags on top of it and somehow it held, so that was my main concern with our home.”
Bungay’s family was away from the area and safe from hurricane Milton so he focused on managing the flooding but it took a lot of work.
“We got an awful lot of water coming at our back door so that was plastic sheets, garbage bags and sandbags to try and preserve the home, to try and keep water out of the home,” he said. “That was an all night struggle.”
Bungay said he went outside about every two hours to drain his pool and removed about 17 inches of water throughout the night. He currently has no power, no internet and cell service is too limited to make clear calls.
“There’s no ability to really check in and see what’s going on outside your own community,” he said.
Despite all of that, Bungay said he considers himself one of the lucky ones.
“My neighbours family, she has her son here, he and another gentleman had to dig trenches out to the street to get water to flow out of the backyard,” Bungay said. “At times it was up to their knees in their garage.”
Flooding is one concern. Others are without air conditioning in the Florida heat and Bungay said that standing water brings another threat.
"Going back to the backyard last night of my home to work on draining the pool and work on clearing the water from that patio area, my first priority is boots and flashlights,” Bungay said. “You cannot walk here in standing water. There’s far too much risk of snakes.”
Michael Murphy watched the storm from the Maritimes, concerned about his condo in St. Pete Beach, Florida. He said he watched security cameras until they lost power, but his condo survived the storm.
“We were up all night,” said Murphy. “We know a lot of people there. I was speaking to a number of people throughout the night. One lady was telling me that, who stayed, she didn’t evacuate and she is a neighbour of mine - that it sounded like there was a bulldozer on the deck.”
Murphy said Hurricane Helene was more consequential to the area his condo is in, but Milton escalated concerns for people struggling in the aftermath of Helene.
“Last night we had the wind and the wind was really terrifying. Not only with the debris flying by but for people. This is all they have, a small home in that part of Florida and if they’re on the ground level that was wiped out a few weeks ago,” Murphy said.
With a rising death toll and millions still without electricity, power crews from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have arrived in the United States to help.
“Trust me, the people that I’ve talked to in Florida really need our assistance and are really glad that they’re going,” said Murphy.
Bungay says relief is top of mind in Florida right now after thousands of people have lost everything. He pointed to Red Cross as a way for people to help, even from a distance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Millions of Cubans lose power after national grid fails
Cuba plunged into a countrywide blackout on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed and caused the national electrical grid to shut down, its energy ministry said.
Arrests made after gunshots fired at Toronto Jewish girls' school
A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy are facing multiple charges after allegedly firing gunshots at a Jewish girls' school last weekend.
SaskPower receives largest workplace fine in province's history for 2020 deaths of employees in Weyburn
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
Suspect charged in hand-scooping incident at B.C. frozen yogurt shop
Days after a man was recorded walking behind the counter at a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., and scooping product with his hand, a suspect has been criminally charged.
Thousands of hybrid vehicles recalled in Canada over risk of fire
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
Cabinet minister who is quitting voices confidence in Trudeau
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
Dog spotted hanging out on top of ancient pyramid in Egypt
While flying over Egypt’s famous Great Pyramids at sunrise earlier this week, US paraglider Marshall Mosher and fellow paragliders spotted the unexpected sight of a stray hound also taking in views around the summit of one of the ancient wonders.
Toronto to swiftly 'limit activity' near Rogers Centre during Taylor Swift's 6 concerts
Taylor Swift is coming to Toronto and the city is working to shake off its gridlock problems by implementing a '"limited activity zone' around the Rogers Centre during the two-week period when she is scheduled to play six sold-out shows.
There may be less chocolate at the door this Halloween
If you’re heading out trick or treating this Halloween, you may end up with more chips, gummies, licorice, and other goodies – rather than chocolate. Cocoa prices have spiked, and that could be playing a trick with what your kids come home with and what you give out on Halloween night.