Former President Donald Trump posted a video to social media sharing his well wishes to the victims of Hurricane Milton and promising additional support if he wins in November.
“We’ve seen you stand tall against storms before and you will stand tall now,” Trump said in the video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Hopefully on January 20 you’re going to have somebody who’s really going to help you and help you like never before because help is on the way.”
Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s west coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm. Several rivers in the storm’s path reached record-high levels.
The storm, which was later downgraded to a Category 2 storm, wreaked havoc with winds of more than 100 miles per hour and a dangerous storm surge to densely populated areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
Flood waters sit in an apartment complex where people are being rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Santander Arena, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Reading, Pa.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart/Alex Brandon
The storm knocked out power for millions of residents, and spawned 150 tornadoes across Florida.
Four people were killed at a Fort Pierce mobile home park, according to the St Lucie County Medical Examiner, as reported by USA Today. St. Lucie is about 70 miles north of Palm Beach, where Trump is a resident.
The Tampa region was badly affected as well. Videos posted on social media Thursday morning showed a crane hit the Tampa Bay Times building and Tropicana Park stadium lost its roof.
People are rescued from an apartment complex in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. Former President Donald Trump promised the state of Florida assistance if he is elected
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
“It sounds like it’s as bad as it gets,” said Trump. “We feel so sorry for you, and we want God to be with you. We know God is with you. Our hearts go out to each and every one of you.”
Trump said in his video Thursday morning that he has talked with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Your governor is doing an excellent job. I’ve been talking to him and watching,” Trump said. “Ron is doing a really good job. We’re proud of him.”
DeSantis held a press conference Thursday morning and shared that “hundreds of personnel” are working on the storm. There are over 50,000 linemen pre-staged.
While 3.1 million accounts don’t have power, DeSantis said there have been 635,000 restorations since Hurricane Milton hit Florida. The areas with the most significant power outages as of this morning are Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties.
The Tampa Airport should be reopened no later than tomorrow after facing minimal damage, according to DeSantis.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene, expected to become a hurricane, moves north along Mexico’s coast toward the U.S. DeSantis held a press conference this morning, two weeks later, about Hurricane Milton
AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
DeSantis told CNBC this morning that he is working well with the President Biden and Harris administration.
“The President’s approved our request,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to be sending a post-landfall major disaster declaration request. I think that that’s going to be approved. We leverage whatever resources are available to us to help our people get through this.”
Early voting in several swing states could be affected by Hurricane Milton as key services attempt to recover from Hurricane Helene. Extreme weather conditions in the South could prevent many Americans from casting early votes or mailing their postal ballots, especially in the swing states of Georgia and North Carolina—which are both hotly contested in the 2024 election.
Trump maintains a small but steady lead in both states, which have 16 Electoral College votes each. He won North Carolina in both 2016 and 2020.
In Florida, Trump has a five-point lead, according to FiveThirtyEight. As of October 10, Trump is receiving 50.1 percent of the vote, and Harris is getting 45.3 percent.
