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Some in Florida Return Home; Trump Says Irma Damage Worse Than Thought

by VOA News

   Some Florida residents started returning to their homes Tuesday in the
   aftermath of the widespread destruction spawned by Hurricane Irma, but
   officials warned the recovery would be frustrating and lengthy.

   "The devastation left by Hurricane Irma was far greater, at least in
   certain locations, than anyone thought," President Donald Trump said in
   a Twitter comment, adding that "amazing people" were working hard.
   Teams of emergency workers rescued more people from flooded
   communities, repaired roads, cleared debris and started restoring power
   to millions of residences and businesses.

   Federal Emergency Management chief Brock Long said it would take a long
   time for the state to recover, particularly in the Florida Keys, the
   string of islands at the state's southern tip, where he said a quarter
   of the homes were destroyed and 65 percent sustained major damage.

   "Basically, every house in the Keys was impacted in some way or
   another," he said of the archipelago where 70,000 people live full-time
   and tourists flock for sun-and-sand vacations.

   "This is going to be a frustrating event," Long said. "It's going to
   take some time to let people back into their homes, particularly in the
   Florida Keys."

   Long headed to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
   Islands, where Irma left a trail of destruction as it barreled through
   the Caribbean last week before hitting the Florida Keys and then
   strafing the mainland of the peninsula state with torrential rain and
   winds that peaked at more than 200 kilometers an hour on Sunday.

   'Seven million without power

   Florida Governor Rick Scott said officials are continuing to check the
   42 bridges that link the Florida Keys together. He said no serious
   damage has been discovered, but that "we're not sure that on the
   bridges we should be putting on significant weight."
   Residents were allowed to return to some islands in the Upper Keys,
   closest to the mainland part of the state. But a roadblock prevented
   people from accessing islands further away.

   About seven million people throughout Florida and adjoining states
   remained without power, with 23,000 electrical workers from Florida and
   thousands more from other states beginning to repair downed lines. But
   officials say it could be weeks before all electrical systems have been
   restored.

   Acting Homeland Security chief Elaine Duke nearly 22,000 federal
   personnel are assisting in the recovery effort, with more on the way.

   "We face a long and challenging road ahead, but the Department of
   Homeland Security, our federal, state, tribal and local partners will
   continue to stand with the people affected by the storm," she said.
   "Whether you are in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico or
   the U.S. Virgin Islands, we are here for you and we are here for the
   long haul."

   She said that federal workers are continuing to help people in Texas
   and Louisiana as they recover from the devastation caused earlier by
   Hurricane Harvey.

   'It's horrible'
   The Florida Keys were the first part of the state slammed by the
   devastating power of Irma on Sunday morning. The U.S. Navy has sent
   three ships to help with rescue and recovery efforts, which will
   include searches of damaged homes that may contain the remains of storm
   victims.

   "My heart goes out to the people in the Keys," Florida Governor Scott
   said Monday after flying over the islands. "There's devastation. ... I
   just hope everybody, you know, survived. It's horrible what we saw."

   Hurricane Irma has been blamed for at least five deaths in Florida, two
   in the state of Georgia and two in South Carolina. It killed at least
   35 people as it tore through islands in the Caribbean last week.

   The storm has weakened to a tropical depression, but was still dropping
   heavy rains in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
   Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky on Tuesday.

   Jacksonville, Florida's largest city by population and the biggest city
   in the contiguous U.S. by area, is dealing with its worst flooding
   since 1964.

   Mayor Lenny Curry had ordered more than 250,000 people to evacuate
   their homes and said Monday that emergency crews were in "rescue mode."
   He warned that the serious flooding could be a week-long event.