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Florida residents scramble for gas amid Hurricane Milton’s devastation [Video]

Residents in Sarasota, Florida, lined up at gas stations with jerry cans in hand as fuel shortages hit after Hurricane Milton. The death toll from the storm has risen to at least 16, while more than 2 million homes and businesses remain without power.

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Federal government combats misinformation amid hurricane recovery [Video]

As the federal government responds to back-to-back hurricanes, officials are also battling misinformation and disinformation. “The disinformation that we have seen around Helene and now Milton is unlike anything I have ever witnessed,” said Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response Caitlin Durkovich.The White House recently launched a Reddit account focused on spreading accurate information. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also has a section on its website dedicated to dispelling false rumors. One widely circulated myth is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is only providing $750 to storm survivors. FEMA says this is an initial payment called Serious Needs Assistance that can be used for immediate needs like food, water and medicine. Its just one of several forms of assistance available to help people recover.Its also false that FEMA may confiscate land if individuals apply for assistance, according to the agency. When you apply for disaster assistance a FEMA inspector may be sent to verify the damage on your home. This is one of many factors reviewed to determine what kind of disaster assistance you may be eligible for. If the results of the inspection deem your home uninhabitable, that information is only used to determine the amount of FEMA assistance you may receive to make your home safe, sanitary and functional, FEMAs fact check continues. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he spoke directly to Elon Musk, the CEO of the social media site X, after Musk shared a post suggesting the federal government was restricting airspace for Helene rescue and recovery operations. “He seemed to be under the impression that the FAA or FEMA were blocking flights, that was not the case, but when I made contact with him, it did become clear that there was an issue that was playing out at the local level. We worked together to get the right information to the right people,” Buttigieg said.The Federal Aviation Administration added on its website, At the request of local authorities or law enforcement, the Federal Aviation Administration can issue Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) to ensure safety for aircraft conducting Hurricane rescue and recovery activities. These TFRs do not ban aircraft, including drones, from providing disaster relief and recovery assistance. As the storm response continues, officials urge Americans to verify facts with trusted sources to avoid spreading false information.”It is making the response and the recovery process more difficult. It also does a disservice frankly to the people, the first responders,” Durkovich said.

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Floridas home insurer of last resort is in serious trouble. Will Milton put it over the edge? | Money [Video]

New York (CNN) An exodus of national insurance companies from Florida, combined with local private insurers canceling plans, has left many homeowners there with only one option: Citizens Property

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At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared [Video]

At least 11 people died as Hurricane Milton sent tornadoes spinning across Florida, officials said Thursday as the state grappled with flooding, power outages and other woes from a milder than expected storm that many had feared would be catastrophic. The hurricane blasted across the state late Wednesday before roaring into the Atlantic, leaving behind

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Elk Park North Carolina residents recount Helene tragedy [Video]

STORM AND ITS DESTRUCTION HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. RECOVERY EFFORTS REMAIN AFTER HELENE. THE AVERY COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE SAYS SEARCH EFFORTS CONTINUE AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY TAKING THINGS ONE DAY AT A TIME. OUR SARAH SOWERS SPOKE TO RESIDENTS ALONG PARK ELM FALLS WHO WITNESSED HOMES FLOAT DOWN ALONG THE RIVER. I SPOKE WITH A MAN WHO SAYS HE IS STILL HEARTBROKEN AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO TWO OF HIS NEIGHBORS, THE DEVASTATION AROUND HIM, HE SAYS, MAKES THIS CORNER OF AVERY COUNTY NEARLY UNRECOGNIZABLE. IF IT HAPPENED ONCE, IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN AND MORE THINGS YOU KNOW, MORE THAN THE TRAGEDY OF LOSING A HOME IS LOSING A DREAM. JOHN BEAR SAYS FOR MANY NEIGHBORS, THAT VACATION HERE, ELK RIVER FALLS, IS AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY. BUT FOR HIM, ITS HOME. 30FT OF FLOODING, NEARLY REACHED THE ONLY ROAD IN AND OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY. IT CAME UP TO ABOUT RIGHT HERE. YEAH, YEAH. SO THIS WHOLE THING, YOURE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE YOUR EYES WHEN YOU SEE THIS DOWN HERE LATELY, HIS STREET HAS BEEN FILLED WITH THE SOUNDS OF RESCUE TEAMS AND DOGS, INCLUDING CREWS FROM THE WINSTON-SALEM FIRE DEPARTMENT AND HELICOPTERS SEARCHING FOR ANY REMAINING SIGNS OF LIFE. MAYBE ITS BETTER EXPLAINED AS A BIBLICAL EVENT. NEVER SEEN 66 YEARS OLD, NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT, BEAR TOLD US. HE FIRST SENT OUT AN EMERGENCY SIGNAL THROUGH HIS IPHONE WHEN THE RIVER TOOK OUT HIS NEIGHBORS HOME. KNOWING THAT ROD AND KIM WERE IN THEIR HOUSE FLOATING DOWN THE RAGING RIVER. YEAH, IT WAS. YEAH, THATS EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS. YEAH, IT WASNT FOR IT WASNT FOR ME. BECAUSE WE WERE SAFE ON THIS SIDE OF THE ROAD. THAT SIDE OF THE ROAD WAS NOT SAFE. HE DESCRIBES THE COUPLE AS SOME OF HIS DEAREST NEIGHBORS AND SAYS ROD BUILT THE TWO STORY WOOD CABIN HOME HIMSELF. ROCKS AND RUBBLE REMAIN WHERE IT ONCE STOOD. THAT WAS HIS DREAM. RIGHT, SIR. THAT WAS HIS DREAM. BEAR SAYS WHEN HE SAW RODS TRUCK FLOATING DOWN THE RIVER, HE REALIZED THEY MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE HOME THAT STARTED FLOATING SHORTLY AFTER IT. ROD WAS FOUND ALIVE AFTER BEING SWEPT INTO THE RIVER WHEN THEIR HOUSE SPLIT INTO PIECES, BUT KIM HAS NOT YET BEEN FOUND. YOU THINK YOURE OVER IT AND THEN YOU TALK TO A LOVED ONE, AND YOU JUST START GETTING EMOTIONAL AGAIN. AS FOR SURVIVORS IN THE COMMUNITY, POWER IS STILL OUT IN MUCH OF ELK PARK FALLS. BEAR TOLD US THAT WHAT WOULD HELP MOST NOW IS FREE FUEL OR SOLAR POWERED GENERATORS FOR THE HOMES, AS WELL AS RESTORING THE BRIDGES.

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At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared [Video]

At least 10 people died as Hurricane Milton sent tornadoes spinning across Florida, officials said Thursday as the state grappled with flooding, power outages and other woes from a milder than expected storm that many had feared would be catastrophic. The hurricane blasted across the state late Wednesday before roaring into the Atlantic, leaving behind