Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing with it a storm surge of up to 16 feet and widespread flooding. The storm has caused extensive damage to homes and businesses, and has left thousands of people without power.
Burned rubble where a house once stood in Signal Cove, Hudson, Florida-Image Source: The Guardian
In the Big Bend region, an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 homes have been damaged by the storm. Several roads and bridges are still impassable, and emergency crews are working to clear debris and downed trees.
Evelyn and Thomas Rhodes, a couple in Pasco County, were among those who had to evacuate their home due to the rising floodwaters. They lost all of their belongings in the storm, including their furniture, televisions, and even their cat.
“They will have nothing to go back to,” said their granddaughter, Ashley Nicole Nguyen. “She is also very distraught about losing her cat.”
The Durst family of Hudson, Florida, also lost their home to a fire that was likely caused by Hurricane Idalia. Their children have set up a GoFundMe page to help them rebuild their lives.
“We don’t know what happened exactly,” said Heather Durst. “We retreated next door, came outside and our neighbor realized our house was on fire. We tried to put it out, weren’t able to, [so] we called 911.”
The storm has also had a significant impact on the state’s economy. Insured property losses are estimated to be as high as $9.36 billion, and many businesses have been forced to close.
The recovery effort in Florida is expected to be long and difficult. Ron DeSantis’s anti-immigration policies are making it even harder, as many of the workers who are needed to rebuild the state are undocumented immigrants.
“Floridians will need thousands of skilled disaster-recovery workers to rebuild their homes after Idalia, but because of Governor DeSantis, they may not get them,” said Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Force.
“Resilience workers are overwhelmingly immigrants – and DeSantis’s anti-immigrant attacks successfully drove them out when they were still rebuilding from Hurricane Ian’s unprecedented destruction.”
Soni called on Florida to repeal its draconian anti-immigrant laws “now to avoid making the crisis of Idalia even worse.”
The full extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia is still being assessed, but it is clear that the storm has had a devastating impact on Florida. The recovery effort will be long and difficult, but it is important to remember that the people of Florida are resilient and will rebuild.
