Florida inhabitants are once again treading on inundated roads and decimated dwellings following Milton's aftermath.
"We've got litter in our yard, I'm not even sure where it belongs since it's leftovers from the previous one (Hurricane Helene) that wasn't cleaned up properly," Ward mentioned about the damage in her coastal town, which is approximately an hour northwest of Fort Myers.
Ward is among the thousands of people in Florida who are returning to their homes to assess the aftermath of Milton's devastation. The hurricane made landfall as a severe Category 3 storm earlier this week, causing at least 16 fatalities, destroying houses, roads, and power lines.
In St. Petersburg, storm chaser Brandon Clement encountered several residents who had lost their homes since they were now just piles of debris.
"It's not a pleasant sight. It's really heartbreaking to see," said Clement, acknowledging the extensive damage caused by Milton, which affected a large population over a vast area.
They Don't Have a Place to Stay
Angie Dooley, 20, and her father are seeking temporary accommodation on Friday after their ground floor apartment in Daytona Beach was flooded.
"The water was up to like... if you're sitting on the couch, it would be right up to your knees on the couch," Dooley explained. Most of their furniture, clothes, and memorabilia, including her baby photos, were destroyed, she said.
Dooley and her 55-year-old father, Scott, left their apartment early Thursday morning as the floodwaters began to rise. Since then, they have been sleeping in their car and a hotel room, but they are yet to secure a room for Friday night.
"I'm just taking things day by day," Scott Dooley said.
After Rina Tabak's home in Tampa was destroyed during Hurricane Helene, she thought her family would be safe at her mother-in-law's home in northwestern Hillsborough County, which was not under an evacuation order. However, Milton caused severe damage to this home as well, with parts of the roof collapsing or landing in the backyard.
Tabak's family is currently staying at a hotel. However, they know that it will be several months before either home is safe enough for them to return.
"I just want a safe place where we can settle and have some sort of normalcy," Tabak said.
"I'm done for this year," Tabak said about the hurricanes.
They are Considering Leaving Florida
Near Sarasota, Cheryl Bernatowicz had prepared her home for possible flooding but didn't anticipate the storm's strong winds would strip off the roof.
"It actually tore the concrete right out of the ground – like the posts for the carports – they were completely ripped out by the storm, and the entire roof was completely torn off," Bernatowicz told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday.
Bernatowicz's home in North Port, Florida, has been damaged multiple times by storms, and she had just finished paying for repairs from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Now, Bernatowicz says she is unsure if she wants to live in Florida anymore.
"To be honest, I don't want to... It's my fourth hurricane, and each time I've gotten demolished. So after going through this, it leaves a bad taste," she said.
Some Are Evacuating Due to Flooding
As some residents try to evaluate the damage, others were rescued from flooded homes on Friday or are evacuating due to the potential threat of cresting rivers.
East of Tampa, in Valrico, Florida, Ralph Genito and his wife quickly packed their clothes into trash bags on Friday. Sheriff's deputies took them back to their home on an airboat after their neighborhood flooded by Hurricane Milton's storm surge and the Alafia River's overflow.
The river has risen about 15 feet since Wednesday night and surpassed the major flood stage on Thursday, as previously reported by CNN.
"This area is not supposed to get this way. It's not supposed to. We're the last road that's supposed to flood," Genito said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister urged residents living near rivers and creeks to evacuate on Friday, as the river flooding was expected to worsen. "The water is not going down; the water is only going to increase," he told CNN.
Genito said the water started rising on Thursday. In just a few hours, it had reached 3 feet and flooded his daughter's tiny house, which was adjacent to his home. By this point, the family had to evacuate, fearing being trapped. The interior of his home was still untouched on Friday morning, but Genito said they had to leave due to the submerged septic tank and generator.
"I feel for everyone who's gone through the same thing. I really do," Genito said, choking back tears. "Nobody expects it to happen to them – so, you just get through it."
CNN’s Isabel Rosales and Mounira Elsamra contributed to this report.
Despite their temporary accommodations in a hotel, Dooley and her father are still searching for a place to stay for Friday night, hoping for some semblance of normality.
With their home destroyed for the second time in a row, Tabak and her family are currently residing in a hotel, anticipating several months before they can return to either place, yearning for stability.
