AASHTO Journal - State DOTs Helping Florida in Wake of Hurricane Milton

Several state departments of transportation in the southeast joined National Guard units and other state agency personnel in helping Florida deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton; the second major hurricane to strike the Sunshine State and the U.S. southeast as a whole within just three weeks.

[Above photo by the Florida DOT]

Hurricane Milton struck the western coast of Florida below the city of Tampa Bay on the evening of October 9 and subsequently crossed the state and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean by October 10. The Category 3 storm – which generated wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour – also spawned several tornadoes which inflicted further damage in communities along the west coast and in central parts of the state.

[Editor’s note: Several Florida DOT traffic cameras recorded the touchdown and subsequent damage caused by those tornadoes.]

According to a recent news update from the Office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), the state activated its Emergency Shoulder Use or ESU corridors to help speed up the evacuation of some 3 million people ahead of the storm’s landfall, with the Florida Department of Transportation staging personnel and equipment close to Hurricane Milton’s path to help speed up recovery operations.

The agency currently has over 2,000 team members working directly on storm response, 328 “cut and toss” crews active in the field with over 350 pieces of heavy equipment and trucks.

The Florida DOT also tapped private road and bridge contractors to assist in its “cut and toss” debris-clearing operations, which adds additional crew members and over 500 pieces of heavy equipment to accelerate efforts on this mission.

Meanwhile, the agency has deployed over 150 bridge inspectors to check structures in areas impacted by the storm to ensure they are safe for normal usage.

Those actions occurred even as Florida DOT continues to clean up from the impact of Hurricane Helene; to date, the agency said it has removed 270,947 cubic yards of debris statewide resulting from Helene.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (R) authorized and directed the deployment of National Guard Soldiers in response to the state of Florida’s request for emergency assistance. That deployment included high water vehicles, helicopters, and search and rescue teams.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation also deployed its State Highway Emergency Program or SHEP #trucks to aid with Hurricane Milton evacuation efforts as well as other storm recovery needs, such as clearing highways of debris.

“Hurricane Helene reminded us of the power of neighbors helping neighbors, and South Carolina is ready to stand with Florida in their time of need,” said Gov. McMaster in a statement. “The National Guard resources being deployed will not interfere with our own recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene and will still allow for our National Guard to deploy in South Carolina to prepare for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton as well.”

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) also deployed National Guard soldiers, helicopters, search and rescue teams, and other resources to assist Florida in the anticipated aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

“Our state is no stranger to hurricanes, and we’ll always be grateful for the assistance we’ve received in the past from people across the country,” the governor said in a statement. “It’s only right that we now help our fellow Americans in their time of need.”