LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As cleanup and recovery efforts start after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, 8 News Now caught up with a woman heading to Las Vegas from Florida after the storm.
“It’s definitely scary,” Yamiley Gedeon said.
Gedeon spoke with 8 News Now about what many called a path of destruction left by the Category 3 hurricane Wednesday.
“We’re surveying some of the damage that was done on the east coast of Florida,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Thursday. “And now assessing some of the damage from the rest of the state.”
Gedeon made her way to Las Vegas after the weather subsided. She said of all the storms she has weathered in the region, this one appeared to produce more panic.
“The way they projected it would be a Category 5,” she recalled of original forecasting. “It’s always a little scary.”
She said some of her friends and family had to leave their homes, either evacuating to Miami or Atlanta. However, she’s glad they are now safe.
As of Thursday, CBS News reported at least 16 people were killed in the storm and more than 2.6 million were reported to not have power.
“We’ll do everything in our power to put the pieces back together,” President Joe Biden said on recovery efforts Thursday. “The truth is we’re providing the resources needed to rescue, recover, and rebuild.”
However, Gedeon told 8 News Now the effort to start that process is debilitating, especially if someone doesn’t know what to expect.
“You’re worried about what you are going to come back to,” she said of those who evacuated. “Whether or not your house is going to be underwater, whether the roof is blown off.”
It’s an experience she called difficult to describe and even harder to know firsthand.
Nevada Task Force One also deployed to Florida earlier this week to help with Milton recovery efforts.
The team also headed to the south to help those suffering after Hurricane Helene.
