Florida officials are scrambling to clear out the flattened trees, mangled appliances and waterlogged furniture left behind by Hurricane Helene to prevent the debris from becoming projectiles in Hurricane Milton.
Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference on Tuesday morning that in 48 hours, the state had removed 12,000 truckloads of debris from Hurricane Helene, which destroyed homes as it tore across the state’s Gulf Coast late last month. More than 300 dump trucks had been working nonstop to haul away the rubble, he said.
“Most times after a storm, you don’t have another storm on the back end,” the governor said. “These things tend to take months and months to be able to do.”
In Gulfport, a city in the Tampa Bay area, Michael Harrison helped his friend, Lola Kronenberg, use sandbags to seal her house, which stood near piles of debris that held items including a destroyed mattress, crushed tables and chairs and a warped plastic bucket. “I’m worried about the projectiles,” Mr. Harrison said.
Officials advised residents around the region to secure debris, as well as their properties, before evacuating, to minimize the danger caused by items flying in strong winds.
Along the barrier islands south of Tampa, street after street was piled with the insides of homes on Tuesday. There were few people out, but damaged furniture was everywhere.
Florida’s government was preparing for the prospect of fresh debris from Hurricane Milton.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, was writing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday to ask for a waiver that would allow it to provide guaranteed daily rates to haulers to incentivize people from other states to help pick up debris.
“We know that we are going to continue to have major, extreme debris issues after this disaster makes landfall,” Mr. Guthrie said.
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