Give responders high-fives

People, get a grip.

Two hurricanes — Helene, a Cat 4 at landfall, and Milton, a Cat 3 at landfall — brought horrific catastrophes smack dab onto Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Sarasota was ground zero for Milton, starting at south Siesta Key, the first time in 103 years that the eye of a hurricane roared through the neighborhoods of Sarasota County. 

Let’s emphasize “catastrophe,” which, by definition is “a violent, destructive natural event.”

And consider this: When Ian made landfall in Lee County in 2022 as a Cat 4, horrible as it was, it was one event — wind and surge at once. 

But for us, we had two — back to back, a double whammy — in a matter of 10 days. Plus Debby. Three storms in 70 days.

Just after Helene’s four- to six-foot storm surges flowed through the thousands of homes, condos, resorts and businesses on the barrier islands and parts of the mainland, and just as Helene’s victims were coming out of the shock of her destruction — ka-blooey! Milton rose to a Cat 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, headed straight for us. It made everyone shudder. “This is it.”

Alarmed at what might be, state, county and city officials pulled off the largest evacuation in Sarasota County’s history.

Thankfully, Milton wasn’t the Cat 5 or the 15-foot surges that had all of us thinking there would be nothing left. But even after slowing to a Cat 3 at 120 mph at landfall, Milton delivered disaster different from Helene — the force of his winds.

Milton has been gone a week, but take in the post-storm perspective. It could have been far worse. But even at that, Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis said Saturday, Oct. 12: “Milton’s impact was from Englewood to the airport, from Siesta Key to Myakka Valley Ranches. Everyone has been impacted by this storm.” Everyone.

For Sarasota County, that’s 464,223 full-time residents; in Manatee, that’s 439,566 residents — 903,789 people over 1,200 square miles.

That’s nearly a million people returning to their homes to the remnants of Mother Nature’s vicious violence. Half of that number — 512,630 — were homes, condos, apartments, hotels, businesses, you name it, that had no power. Water was shut off to all of the barrier islands as a precaution. That was 7,000 customers for the city of Sarasota and nearly 10,000 on Longboat Key.

The devastation was monumental from the combined storms. 

But this was also monumental: The first responders — the immediate deployment of thousands of employees from Sarasota and Manatee counties; the cities of Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Venice, North Port, Holmes Beach, Palmetto; and from the state. Plus, the thousands of power utility repair experts from all over the country and Canada.

Say what you will; be cynical; be a jerk. Complain about how the debris didn’t get picked up after Helene and before Milton. 

But get a grip. Put yourselves in the shoes of the city and county government employees working 24-7 up to and after the storms. Think of the logistics; the challenges of prioritizing what needs fixing first; of finding missing people, of rescuing the sick, injured or trapped; keeping citizens from being electrocuted; feeding and housing thousands of first responders; getting water and fuel where it’s needed. Think of doing all that and much more with staffs that — by no one’s fault — are far fewer in number than what the size and scope of the disasters call for. Indeed, if you encounter a first responder, find out how much sleep he or she has had in the past week and keep that in perspective. 

Fact is, all things considered, our first responders have done a remarkable, terrific job in the week since Milton to bring back power and water and begin the cleanup. Rich Collins, Sarasota County director of emergency services, estimates there is 2 million cubic yards of debris spread across the county. Crews are picking 5,000 cubic yards a day. “Our goal is to have 90% of it picked up in 90 days,” he said. 

We all need to keep perspective — and patience. If you see a first responder from FPL or a utility,  or from your city, county or the state, give that person a high-five — a high-five of appreciation and gratitude.