Dave Elias: Tampa Bay Reporter on the latest with Hurricane Milton, the aftermath

The full extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton remains to be seen.  

The hurricane caused storm surges, tornadoes, strong winds, heavy rain and flash flooding across Florida, and NBC is reporting 12 deaths.  

Around three million properties have been without power, and authorities are working to restore that and fuel supply. 

Reporter Dave Elias told Mike Hosking that they’ve had helicopters and drones out surveying, but much of the damage still remains to be seen.  

He said the one good thing is that both the State and Federal Government were well prepared, with electrical crews set up and ready to go once the storm abated. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So it was Milton, the storm of the century. If
you didn't leave Tampa, would you die? Was it as
bad as they said it would be in Tampa? Diavi
lospect whether us Dave morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hi, they're good morning. Yeah, you know, the it depends
on where you live. If you would live on and
we are just of course, south of Tampa Fort Myers,
that area of Florida, if you would have been on
one of the Barrier islands, chances are you would not
have survived. And it's still unknown whether everyone even evacuated

(00:33):
all of the Barrier islands. Some of them they haven't
even gotten into yet. So you know, a lot of
the damage remains to be seen, but we are seeing
a lot of it. We've had helicopters up, we've had
our drones up, and there is a lot of coastal damage.
We've been talking to businesses who say they can't do

(00:54):
this anymore. So it really, I guess, depends on just
where you are.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
It's one of the great questions I didn't ask yesterday
because I didn't want to see them insensitive. But Florida,
I mean, this is not new for you guys. Why
do people live in Florida. Does the sun and the
margaritas outweigh the occasional you know, Helene, come Milton.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Well, okay, I can tell you. I grew up in
the north part of the United States, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
so I was used to blizzards. I moved here because
I was tired of the cold weather. And I think
many people migrate from the North to the South because
they're tired of the cold weather and the blizzards. And
then you get down here and you start dealing with hurricanes,
and it's a whole different beast. And again, I'm talking

(01:39):
to people and I'm seeing posts on social media from
people who say they may just be done with Florida now.
The storms, it seems, have gotten worse, They've gotten more,
they're more happening more often. So, I mean, we do
live here for the sunshine in the warm weather year round,
but there's a price to be paid for living in,

(02:00):
you know, in paradise.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
And I take it it's way too early to get
a number on damage and the power and all of
that sort of stuff. You're still just starting to mop up.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yes, you know, I think God had minimal damage at
my home. I was without power. They got that restored.
The one good thing I will say is they were
prepared for this. I believe both the federal and state
government were very well prepared for this. You know, they
had electrical crews from around the country here set up

(02:32):
and ready to go the minute it was safe to
get out there. I was without power all night, but
it was restored this morning, and I was thankful. And
hurricane in I was without power for a week.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
All right, Well go, well, we've appreciated you coverage over
the last couple of days. Diable Laws, who is a
Tampa Bay based reporter. I was watching Anderson Cooper God
bless and went into the middle of it yesterday and
at the start of it, about one o'clock, I can't remember,
I was in and out. At the start of it,
he looked like he was going to drown, and yet remarkably,
an hour and a half later, not only wasn't he drowned,

(03:04):
his hair had dried. And I thought, that's a weird
old business. And then a reporter was holding up a
fan blade that had fallen off a ceiling, and I thought,
if you're holding up a fan blade, it's probably not
the worst thing Florida has ever seen for Villa. For
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(03:25):
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