Port Richey Mayor John Eric Hoover told Newsmax on Thursday that most of the Florida city's residents remain without power following the impact of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night.
Milton struck Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday evening, making landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota.
Hoover, whose city is located just north of Tampa Bay, said on "National Report" that Port Richey was "pretty much spared" by Milton.
He noted that the city "had a lot of wind and rain" overnight and saw "probably 12 to 14 inches of rain here in the city" with "wind gusts, probably 60 to 70 miles an hour."
Hoover said the storm knocked down "a lot of tree branches" but that the city incurred "not really a lot of damage; I'd say minor comparative to most of the southern areas," though he did note that "the majority of the city" is without power.
Hoover said that local officials and workers have already cleared "probably about 50% of that debris" and are working to clear the rest. He also said that the city is working with the county to help recovery efforts.
He noted that the city didn't suffer any damage from flooding due to Milton, noting that Hurricane Idalia last year caused 300 homes to flood.
"So we're relatively lucky here in Port Richey from a storm surge perspective. But we did get a lot of wind and rain, and so we're dealing with those issues now," Hoover said.
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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