‘One to remember’: Couple from Sask. rides out Hurricane Milton in Tampa

After nearly 20 years living in Tampa, Kevin Daly is no stranger to wild storms, but Hurricane Milton was a brand-new experience.

“We’ve had hurricanes go by, but this is the first time we really had one sort of come right over top of us,” Daly said.

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Daly and his wife rode out the storm in their condo near downtown Tampa, along with other family members. He said it can be anxiety inducing watching the hurricane develop on the news two or three days before it lands.

“It’s stressful,” Kevin said. “But we didn’t feel frightened so much.”

Before moving to Tampa for a job opportunity, Daly and his wife Jennifer lived in Regina for many years.

Daly said his family chose to stay for the storm because they weren’t in a mandatory evacuation zone, and their area was not expected to flood.

Kevin and Jennifer Daly lived in Regina before moving to Tampa for a job opportunity. (Kevin Daly/Submitted)

“Where it made landfall, we weren’t looking at storm surge the way we did with Helene,” Kevin said. “But we did get the brunt of the wind and rain.”

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a category 3 storm, weeks after the category 4 Hurricane Helene battered the west coast of Florida. Around 230 people have been found dead so far.

Daly said the storm brought constant rain on Wednesday afternoon, along with winds measured at 161 kilometres per hour. The storm didn’t stop until the middle of the night, he said, causing some water to leak through the roof of the condo.

In his area, he said the storm left behind broken traffic lights, tipped-over lampposts and fallen trees. Other areas have more serious damage.

“I know there’s a lot of folks out there that are dealing with some really catastrophic impacts on their homes, so it’s going to take a long time to get this clean up,” Daly said.

The ferocious winds left tree branches shredded on Tampa’s streets amid the widespread damage from Hurricane Milton. (Kevin Daly/Submitted)

Daly and his family are currently relying on battery banks, after the storm knocked out the power in the area. He said he’s not sure when it will be turned back on again.

“Food and water is not an issue,” he said. “It’s more of a comfort thing right now.”

Mark Robinson, a meteorologist with The Weather Network, encouraged people to exercise caution before travelling to Florida due to a concern that more dangerous weather could develop.

“Two storms one right on top of the other – yeah, it’s one to remember for sure,” Daly said.

Daly said he and his family plan on checking into a hotel for the weekend to charge their electronic devices, and sit in some air conditioning. He said he’s optimistic that people living in Tampa will lend a hand to one another while they work to rebuild.

–with files from The Canadian Press