NEW ORLEANS (AP) — To Baker Mayfield, the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weathered a wild second quarter in which they lost a 17-point lead was symbolic of their mindset ever since they traveled to New Orleans on Tuesday to escape the path of Hurricane Milton.
Mayfield overcame three turnovers with 325 yards and four touchdowns passing, and the Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints 51-27 on Sunday in what they hoped would be a morale boost to their many fans who endured Milton’s widespread damage earlier in the week.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin runs toward the end zone to score against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs in front of New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) catches a touchdown pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints' Rashid Shaheed (22) gestures while returning a punt for a touchdown past Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda (5) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs toward the end zone to score past New Orleans Saints safety J.T. Gray (48) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints safety Johnathan Abram (24) returns an interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (16) catches a touchdown pass in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) celebrates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, middle, is congratulated by quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (17) after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, middle left, runs against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
“The last few weeks have been tough for the Tampa area and all of South Florida," Mayfield said. "Today was a team embracing everything that everybody was going through, ups and downs and handling it the best way you can, fighting through it and trying to make it work.
“That’s life,” Mayfield added. "Obviously a natural disaster is not easy to deal with, but you find a way to overcome.”
For the Saints, the result blemished rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler's first NFL start, and extended New Orleans' losing streak to four after it opened the season with two lopsided victories.
But with first-string quarterback Derek Carr's timeline to return from an oblique injury uncertain, Saints coach Dennis Allen said his intention was to start Rattler again Thursday night, when the Saints try to end their skid against Denver.
“There were some encouraging things, some things that he’s going to learn from,” Allen said, noting that New Orleans' difficulty running the ball and defensive lapses in the second half made Rattler's job harder as the game wore on. “I don’t think we did enough around him to help him.”
Trailing 27-24 at halftime, the Bucs (4-2) pulled ahead for good on Chris Godwin's second touchdown of the game — a 55-yarder on a short catch and long run during which three Saints missed tackle attempts.
“Our tackling was atrocious," Allen said. “When you don’t tackle, you give up explosive plays ... and it just kind of snowballed on us.”
Safety Zyon McCollum's diving interception of Rattler's underthrown pass initiated a fourth-quarter drive that ended with Mayfield's 8-yard scoring pass to tight end Cade Otton on third-and-goal as Tampa Bay continued to pull away.
The Buccaneers racked up all kinds of gaudy stats and highlights in the Superdome, which was mostly empty before the game ended. Just a smattering of happy fans in Bucs colors remained when Sean Tucker scored for the second time for the final margin.
The Bucs “were playing with heavy hearts, just seeing what was happening in Tampa Bay,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said, confirming that the team planned to return to its normal headquarters in Tampa after the game.
“Our hearts pour out to the city. It’s a tough city,” Bowles said. "We don’t know what we’re going back to, but in our small part, we wanted to win one for the city. We are going to try to help any way we can when we get back, so after going through a week like this and coming out on top, it made the guys feel special.”
The Bucs rushed for 277 yards as a team, led by Tucker's 136 yards and one TD rushing. Bucky Irving added 81 yards and short touchdown. Tucker also turned a short catch into a 36-yard touchdown.
Tampa Bay became just the fifth team in NFL history to have at least 300 yards passing and 275 yards rushing in a game. The Bucs' 594 total offensive yards were the second-most ever yielded by the Saints.
Rattler, who was intercepted twice, finished 22 of 40 for 243 yards and a TD pass to fellow rookie Bub Means. Alvin Kamara scored his seventh TD this season on a 4-yard run and Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown.
Mayfield capped the game's opening possession with a 4-yard TD pass to Godwin.
Rattler's first series ended when receiver Chris Olave was stripped by Tykee Smith moments after making a catch. Olave also absorbed an unflagged helmet-to-helmet hit from McCollum, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. scooped up the loose ball and returned it 58 yards to make it 14-0.
Chase McLaughlin's 26-yard field goal made it 17-0 late in the first quarter before the Saints scored 20 straight points in 5:06 with the help of interceptions in Bucs territory by Saints defensive backs Paulson Adebo and Johnathan Abram, which set up a field goal and Rattler's 10-yard scoring toss to Means.
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan's interception of Mayfield's batted pass preserved the Saints' lead through halftime, but that turned out to be a brief respite for reeling New Orleans.
Buccaneers: Cornerback Jamel Dean left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.
Saints: Olave's injury further depleted an offense already missing Carr, tight end Taysom Hill (ribs), center Erik McCoy (groin), Cesar Ruiz (knee), guard Lucas Patrick (chest). ... Starting safety Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a forearm injury in the first half.
Buccaneers: Host Baltimore in a Monday night game on Oct. 21.
Saints: Thursday night's home game features the Broncos' Sean Payton coaching his first game in the Superdome since his brief retirement from the Saints after the 2021 season.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin runs toward the end zone to score against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs in front of New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) catches a touchdown pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints' Rashid Shaheed (22) gestures while returning a punt for a touchdown past Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda (5) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs toward the end zone to score past New Orleans Saints safety J.T. Gray (48) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints safety Johnathan Abram (24) returns an interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (16) catches a touchdown pass in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) celebrates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, middle, is congratulated by quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (17) after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, middle left, runs against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — When ankle-deep floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bubbled up through the floors of their home, Kat Robinson-Malone and her husband sent a late-night text message to their neighbors two doors down: “Hey, we're coming.”
The couple waded through the flooded street to the elevated front porch of Chris and Kara Sundar, whose home was built on higher ground, and handed over their 8-year-old daughter and a gas-powered generator.
The Sundars' lime-green house in southern Tampa also became a refuge for Brooke and Adam Carstensen, whose house next door to Robinson-Malone also flooded.
The three families met years earlier when their children became playmates, and the adults' friendships deepened during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. So when Helene and Hurricane Milton struck Florida within two weeks of each other, the neighbors closed ranks as one big extended family, cooking meals together, taking turns watching children and cleaning out their damaged homes.
And as Milton threatened a direct strike on Tampa last week, the Malones, the Sundars and the Carstensens decided to evacuate together. They drove more than 450 miles (725 kilometers) in a caravan to metro Atlanta — seven adults, six children, four dogs and teenage Max Carstensen's three pet rats.
“Everyone has, like, the chain saw or a tarp,” Robinson-Malone said Sunday. “But really the most important thing for us was the community we built. And that made all the difference for the hurricane rescue and the recovery. And now, hopefully, the restoration.”
Recovery efforts continued Sunday in storm-battered communities in central Florida, where President Joe Biden surveyed the devastation. Biden said he was thankful the damage from Milton was not as severe as officials had anticipated. But he said it was still a “cataclysmic” event for people caught in the path of the hurricane, which has been blamed for at least 11 deaths.
Nearly 800,000 homes and businesses in Florida remained without electricity Sunday, according to Poweroutage.us, down from more than 3 million after Milton made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
Fuel shortages also appeared to be easing as more gas stations opened, and lines at pumps in the Tampa area looked notably shorter. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced nine sites where people can get 10 gallons (38 liters) each for free.
While recovery efforts were gaining steam, a full rebound will take far longer.
DeSantis cautioned that debris removal could take up to a year, even as Florida shifts nearly 3,000 workers to the cleanup. He said Biden has approved 100% federal reimbursement for those efforts for 90 days.
“The (removal of) debris has to be 24/7 over this 90-day period,” DeSantis said while speaking next to a pile of furniture, lumber and other debris in Treasure Island, an island city in the Gulf of Mexico that has been battered by both recent hurricanes. “That’s the way you get the job done.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Close said rivers will keep rising for the next several days and result in flooding, mostly around Tampa Bay and northward. Those areas got the most rain, which came on top of a wet summer that included several hurricanes.
Meanwhile, residents unable to move back into their damaged homes were making other arrangements.
Robinson-Malone and her husband, Brian, bought a camper trailer that's parked in their driveway. They plan to live there while their gutted home is repaired and also improved to make it more resilient against hurricanes.
“These storms, they're just going to keep happening,” she said. “And we want to be prepared for it.”
The Carstensens plan to demolish what's left of their flooded, low-slung home, which was built in 1949, and replace it with a new house higher off the ground. For the time being they are staying with Brooke Carstensen's mother.
Chris Sundar said he's questioning his plan to remain in Tampa until his children have all graduated from high school a decade from now. His house remains the home base for the families' kids, ages 8 to 13. On the wall there is a list of chores for them all, from, from folding laundry to emptying wastebaskets. Brooke Carstensen, a teacher, has helped the children through an extended period without school.
The Sundars lost both their vehicles when Helene's storm surge flooded their garage, so they drove Robinson-Malone's car when they evacuated to Georgia. Arriving, exhausted after the 14-hour trek, Chris Sundar said to Robinson-Malone: “This is where community shines or it falls apart.”
“And that night we got together and we all hung out,” he said.
On Sunday back in Florida, they worked together to remove sticks and logs from a large oak limb that dangled over another neighbor's driveway. Brian Malone cut it up with a chain saw.
Tackling recovery as a group has made it seem far less overwhelming, Brooke Carstensen said. The families share tips and ideas on a group text thread. The Sundars threw an impromptu 13th birthday party for her son at their house between the storms. And she found solace and laughter from Brian Malone's advice about rebounding: “How to you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
It's why she wants to remain in Tampa, despite her concerns that Helene and Milton won't be the last storms.
“Why do we live here in a place that's trying to destroy us?” Brooke Carstensen said. “Well, it's all the people that we have here.”
A property owner who preferred not to give his name peers into the remains of the second floor unit where he lived with his wife while renting out the other units, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Theresa Carrithers, property manager of Sea Oats Beach Club, puts up caution tape around the hotel's damaged infrastructure, following the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla.,, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Charlotte County workers clear feet of sand from a road on southern Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A property owner is accompanied by friends as he walks along the beach on his way to survey damage to his three properties, following the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Property owners who preferred not to be named sit on the torn-up beach near their beachfront home and business, which was damaged in Hurricane Helene and then destroyed in Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Foundations and debris remain after buildings were swept from their foundations and destroyed during Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Empty lots and debris are seen after buildings were swept from their foundations and destroyed during Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A house that was swept from its foundation lies broken open following the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Bare foundations and debris are seen after buildings were swept away and destroyed in Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Sand covers a remaining stretch of the main road in southern Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., as Charlotte County crews work to clear it, following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A house swept off its foundation and split in half by Hurricane Milton is seen alongside stilted homes, which suffered damaged to their ground floor storage levels, but remained standing, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Charlotte County workers clear feet of sand from the main road on southern Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Buildings damaged in Hurricane Milton are seen, along with a water channel opened by the storm, top, cutting off access to much of Stump Pass Beach state park, on the southern end of Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Property owners who preferred not to be named assess damage to their home and business, which bears orange notices calling for demolition, after the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Three houses which shifted off their foundations, left, are seen from above following Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Birds visit a sandbar as the sun rises, on Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Property owners speak together as they process the damage to their homes and community following Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters at MacDill Air Force Base, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Tampa, Fla., before departing to Philadelphia following a tour of areas in Florida affected by Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Waves lap on the beach in front of empty house foundations surrounded by debris, following the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A property owner who preferred not to give his name peers into the remains of the second floor unit where he lived with his wife while renting out the other units, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
With President Joe Biden aboard, Marine One surveys areas affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida, from Tampa to St. Petersburg, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Florida National Guardsmen control access to a heavily damaged area of Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A woman, right, walks past a home that was swept partially into the road during the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A child's swing still hangs on a tree, surrounded by debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
People survey damage to beachfront homes, many of which had their ground floor level washed out, following Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Damaged homes are seen on Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A boat is seen through a broken wall on the ground floor of a stilted home on Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A county vehicle drives past damaged homes on Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A seahorse statue lies embedded in feet of sand covering a road on Manasota Key, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A section of the island's main road not yet reached by county work crews remains covered in feet of sand following the passage of Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, uses a skid steer to remove sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Ron and Jean Dyer, high school sweethearts who have been married for 60 years, joke together as they talk in the living room of their second-floor beachfront condominium, which lost its roof and a section of wall during Hurricane Milton, in Venice, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Catherine Praught stands inside her damaged home from Hurricane Milton in Cortez, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Mark Praught stands inside his storm-damaged home from Hurricane Milton in Cortez, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Jen Hilliard shovels sandy muck into a wheelbarrow outside a friend’s house after Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Bradenton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Jen Hilliard dumps sandy muck from a wheelbarrow in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, outside a friend’s house in Bradenton Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Don Glass stands his at his home, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Bradenton Beach, Fla., which saw flooding from Hurricane Helene and wind damage from Hurricane Milton two weeks later. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, drives a skid steer, bottom, as he removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Bennett said he had just finished digging out the same condominium complex after Hurricane Helene, when Milton buried it in an even deeper layer of sand. Before Helene hit, the Venice native said, he'd "never seen sand like this. Wind rain, water, but never sand." (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A condominium owner who says her unit, at the back of the property, was luckily undamaged, walks beside an almost-buried fence as she surveys the beginning of work to remove feet worth of extra sand from the beach and beachfront properties, in Venice, Fla.,following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, drives a skid steer as he removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from right, gestures as he holds a news conference after Hurricane Milton at a fuel depot Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Kevin Guthrie, Florida Division of Emergency Management, speaks during a news conference at a newly opened fuel depot Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant, Fla. Looking on are Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, left, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, right. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference at a fuel depot in Plant City, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, accompanied by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, right. Gas station are slow to open after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A Florida Highway Patrol officer watches as fuel depot workers distribute gas to residents Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. Gas stations are slow to reopen after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Fuel distribution workers fill cars at a depot, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. Gas stations are slow to reopen after the effects of Hurricane Milton. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Motorists wait in long lines for fuel at a newly opened depot after Hurricane Milton Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A child's swing still hangs on a tree, surrounded by debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
