On Oct. 5, Hurricane Milton struck many areas in Florida, most notably the Western Coast of the state. While the hurricane affected Florida for five days from Oct. 5–10, the impacts will last for long periods of time, taking months to fully recover.
Based on wind speed, Milton became the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita in 2005. Based on pressure, Milton was the fifth most intense hurricane in the Atlantic basin on record. Milton is also the second Category 5 hurricane this season. Florida resident Charlie Bern recounts how he had to evacuate to neighboring areas and take time off of work because he didn’t have access to electricity or water.
“I evacuated to Newburry, a city just outside of Gainesville for about a week before returning home,” Charlie Bern ’26 said. “The internet was down and basic necessities such as water and gas weren’t easy to attain.”
Bern, a student at Tampa Prep School, observed many damages to his home and school after returning from the evacuation. While his family suffered from flooding in his house, Bern knows that he was less affected by the natural disaster, compared to others.
“We’ve never got hit like this before,” Bern said. “Milton has easily been the worst my family and I have been through. Thankfully, my home is still standing. It definitely hit other families’ homes harder than mine.”
Similarly, Stevenson English teacher Martha Keller’s parents had to evacuate from Sarasota, Florida to escape potential damage from Milton. Evacuating wasn’t their first option, however, as they didn’t initially predict the impact of the hurricane.
“There was mandatory evacuation for both of them,” Keller said. “The first one, a lot of people in the neighborhood stayed. [The residents] didn’t seem like it was gonna be that bad.”
Keller’s family ended up evacuating to Orlando just 48 hours before the hurricane hit Sarasota, avoiding possible harm. According to Keller, when her parents got back, their house appeared as if it had been submerged by the water.
“There was eight inches of water in their garage, and they had seaweed in the yard,” Keller said. “The streets were flooded with big debris on the side of the roads, especially after that first hurricane.”
Slowly but surely, the six million Floridian residents that had to evacuate are returning back to their day to day lives. While Keller and Bern knew that recovering from the hurricane wasn’t easy, both families have repaired their homes as of Nov. 9.
“We had to get new furniture for the first floor of my home, but now we’re doing okay again,” Bern said.
While both homes have been repaired and cleared of all flooding, Bern notes that as a teenager, it has definitely taken a toll on him socially, wanting a call to action. As president of his Jewish youth group, he’s already made calls to action in response to the natural disaster.
“I’ve seen so many teenagers already rally to help communities in need,” Bern said. “Even though the hurricane put many of us in shock, it’s amazing to see people rally together to help others.”
As for the Keller family, they continue with life unharmed and cleared of house flooding. Keller had expressed concern towards her parents, but has been providing as much support as she can from Chicago.
“You know, I’m very lucky that they’re able to independently take care of themselves on many levels,” Keller said. “[I’ve] invited them to stay with us, but my parents see themselves as Floridians.”
Today, both families are grateful the outcomes weren’t as bad as they initially seemed, and that their community is rallying together. As his life continues after Milton, Bern hopes to avoid another hurricane for a longer period of time.
“Now it’s just a waiting game, honestly,” Bern said. “Hopefully nothing like this will happen for a long time, and we will be safe from natural disasters for a little while. I feel blessed to be where I’m at nonetheless.”