Losing everything: hurricane hits retirement complex in Florida

As gushing water from Hurricane Milton flooded their Florida apartment, Lidier Rodriguez and Sandra Escalona rushed upstairs to safety -- a scene of danger and drama in a normally staid senior living facility.

Hours later, after the powerful storm hit Wednesday evening, they watched as the same emergency crews who rescued them at their residence -- a series of two-story apartment buildings -- helped other older people get out.

The complex is on a low-lying and now flooded street near Tampa Bay on Florida's west coast. Police and firefighters went from building to building in boats on Thursday, helping people get to dry land.

"We lost everything," said Rodriguez, a 54-year-old Cuban man who has been living in Florida for 20 years. "But at least we are alive. That is all we have left."

Outside their homes, dozens of residents look confused and shellshocked -- like they did not know what to do next.

They carried bags with the few belongings they were able to salvage, and in some cases their pet dogs and cats.

No one expected so much flooding in a neighborhood that was not part of the many mandatory evacuation zones that Florida officials declared in the second major hurricane in as many weeks.

The neighborhood was not damaged at all when Hurricane Helene hit late last month.

Milton killed at least 11 people as it churned across the state and then out to the Atlantic. But Floridians heaved a sigh of relief because the storm surge, catastrophic damage and loss of life that many people feared did not materialize in the end.

- Now, what? -

When Escalona saw a few inches of water on the floor of her home, she first thought a neighbor had left the water running, but soon realized something was very wrong.

"It all happened very quickly. The water rushed in suddenly, it was strong, with a lot of current," Escalona recalled.

"We grabbed some papers and the dog and left. We spent the night outside the door of the neighbors upstairs," she said.

Now she and her husband are wondering what to do and where to go.

"It is not easy to think you have everything and suddenly you have nothing," said Rodriguez.

"We dont know where to go. We have been in this country for nearly 20 years and have no family. It's her, me, and the dog," he said, pointing to their chihuahua Tito.

- Relief replaces fear -

Even though Milton was a powerful Category 3 hurricane on a five-level scale, in the end Florida was not hit nearly as hard as officials had feared.

In fact, most of the 11 fatalities from the storm happened on the east coast, away from where the storm made landfall, due to tornados that spun off from the storm.

In Sarasota, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Clearwater and near where the hurricane made landfall, streets were gradually getting back to normal.

Emergency crews cleared many streets before dawn, but there were still downed trees in some places, along with broken glass and other damage.

Near the marina in Sarasota, dozens of people walked around taking pictures of the storm damage with their cell phones.

They looked at a speedboat that had rammed into a boat rental office because of Milton's powerful winds.

Many people expressed relief that the city was not as badly damaged as they had expected.

"I think it could have been a lot worse," said retiree Donna Pickup.

That feeling of relief is shared in Punta Gorda, 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Sarasota.

In that town, hit hard by Hurricane Ian in 2022, the storm surge that rushed in Wednesday night flooded seaside areas and left several yachts stranded on the oceanfront promenade.

But here, too, the damage was not as bad as many had feared.

"Thank God," said David Cardoso, "a lot of houses are in pretty good tack".

He added: "It was supposed to hit us worse."

© Agence France-Presse