Quebecers in Florida experienced two frightening weather episodes in a short time in the face of hurricanes Helenetwo weeks ago, then Milton, that night, but fortunately they avoided the worst.
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A Quebec woman saw her house hit for the second time in less than two weeks by a powerful hurricane, even though she and her husband had just recovered fromHelene.
“My husband had just repaired our fence which had been damaged, it was a neighbor who informed us that the fence had been completely torn off this time,” explains Joanne Clement, a Quebecer who has lived in Florida since 1992.
Joanne Clement’s fence was ravaged by Hurricane Milton overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in Florida.
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The home of the Floridian couple had suffered minor damage during the last hurricane, but they still preferred to leave their residence in Safety Harbor, near Tampa, this time just in case.
Another view of Joanne Clement’s fence was ravaged by Hurricane Milton overnight Wednesday into Thursday in Florida.
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Packed motels
Since Tuesday, hundreds of people have found refuge in the hotel establishments of Quebecer Richard Clavet. Many residents of the city of Tampa mainly moved to its motels in the city of Hollywood, located halfway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
“Everyone was arriving here, families, teams who were going to intervene to restore power once the hurricane passed, we were very busy,” explains the 60-year-old man.
Richard Clavet, a Quebecer who has lived in Florida since 1985, poses in front of one of his motels in the city of Hollywood.
Photo provided by RICHARD CLAVET
He chose not to barricade his facilities, but he reports being afraid of drastic changes in the weather.
“Last night, I wondered if I had done the right thing by staying there, at certain times it was very windy and the sky suddenly darkened,” he reports.
Back from Georgia
A 68-year-old Quebecer who left his home in Sarasota (Florida) to go to Georgia decided to return home as soon as the hurricane passed, in order to bear witness to the damage.
“I was at a campsite and here, several people prefer to wait until tomorrow before returning, I hope to arrive home quickly without there being too much traffic,” explains Pierre Bertrand, who has lived in Sarasota for 28 years.
The one who owns a renovation company left his home with his trailer, as a precaution and to prevent it from being broken by debris.
“I heard from my friends, they tell me that the fences were torn down everywhere, that there were fallen tree branches, a lot of damaged mobile homes too,” he concludes.
No reinforcements in sight for Hydro-Québec
Despite major electrical outages caused by the passage of Milton and more than 3 million American homes without electricity, Hydro-Québec does not plan to send teams on site to help.
Hydro-Québec reports that companies responsible for American distribution have requested help from regional assistance groups. The Quebec state-owned company “continues to monitor the situation” and will not exclude “the possibility of sending teams” if a new request is made to companies part of NAMAG (North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Group).
“It’s a real shame, there are around 1,000 linemen [au Québec] who would like to do their part and help, but we are not allowed to,” explains a Hydro-Québec lineman preferring to remain anonymous.
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