- October 9, 2024
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As Hurricane Milton continued its march toward Sarasota, residents scrambled to finish their final preparations for the storm’s arrival, estimated to be late Wednesday night to early Thursday morning.
Most gas stations throughout Sarasota sat empty, out of gas with their pumps covered with plastic bags or Saran-wrapped for protection from the storm.
In neighborhoods, residents put up last-minute plywood over windows and doors to protect homes from the storm, which Wednesday morning was forecasted to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of up to 129 mph. Neighbors helped each other by sharing spare plywood or lending an extra hand.
On Satsuma Drive in the Southgate neighborhood, Vladimir Shevchenko had help from his son, George, as the two worked to board up the front of their house.
Austin Allen, owner of Austin Allen Construction, called in his mom, Holly to help board up a business at 333 S. Pineapple Ave in downtown Sarasota Tuesday afternoon. The pair said Holly was a stand-in for Allen’s normal crew, which was off preparing their own homes.
Further downtown, on Main Street, workers disassembled the outdoor dining barriers at Clasico restaurant as shops pulled in displays and prepared to lock up for their last day of business before the storm.
At Publix, last-minute shoppers ran as staff members manned the doors to try to keep the store’s 3 p.m. Tuesday closing on schedule. Publix staff were pulling protective barriers to cover refrigerated products not in cases and lines ran several shoppers deep as people bought everything from bottled water to bouquets as a thank you for friends they were staying with during the storm.
Although some shelves were bare, there were still plenty of options for bottled water.
On Lido Beach, Lorena Farfan filled bags with sand. Farfan drove to Sarasota from South Bradenton to fill sandbags to reinforce her home.
After staying on the island during Hurricane Helene, Lido Key resident Austin Scherer knew evacuating was the right decision for Milton. With the expected impact of this hurricane, he knew it wasn't worth risking his life again when he saw the damage Helene left on the Keys. Driving through St. Armands Circle on his way out Tuesday, he couldn't help but notice how empty and eerie it felt.
"It looks like some of the stores and restaurants are more fortified this time," said Scherer. "Unfortunately, there are still piles and piles of debris in and around the area. That will surely make matters worse when the storm hits. Given their projections, I hope not many people are staying."
Just a week after arriving from his Rhode Island home to clean up from Helene, St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia evacuated to Sunrise near Fort Lauderdale and is keeping residents informed with updates from there.
Goglia said the emergency trip here came a week earlier than he would normally arrive for the season. One of the reasons he loves the area is its sense of community, something he felt confident will weather any storm.
“We love it here. We love the weather. We love all the activities there are to do, whether that's golf or boating or tennis,” Goglia said in the aftermath of Helene and before the specter of Milton was on the western horizon. ”We've got so many friends down here that we have to make sure that every single person we know is OK before we allow ourselves to have fun.”
Sprinkles of rain started Tuesday evening, with the storm starting to make its presence known Wednesday morning with light rain, gloomy skies and fast-moving clouds over the area. In Lakewood Ranch, workers began wrapping up the pumps at the 7-Eleven on University Parkway at 9:15 a.m., preparing to close the station prior to the storm. At 11:40 a.m., the Sunshine Skyway Bridge closed to all traffic as gusts started to peak over 45 mph.
After noon Wednesday, officials started making their final urges for residents in evacuation zones to leave before it’s too late. In Sarasota County, shelters began filling, and in Manatee County, several more opened. Once sustained winds hit 45 mph, all emergency personnel will be pulled and everyone will be instructed to shelter in place until the storm passes.
With nowhere to go and few things left to do Wednesday afternoon, area residents entered one of the worst parts of any hurricane: the wait.
