Scores of Manasota Key homes and businesses were severely damaged after Hurricane Helene landed on Sept. 26. Then last Wednesday came Milton’s much higher storm surge and more powerful wind, strong enough to rip entire homes from their foundations and toss them into the water.

Less than two weeks later, on October 9, Category 3 Hurricane Milton directly targeted the Sarasota area, just south of Tampa Bay, as what's predicted to be one of the costliest storms on record. While insured losses are already mounting well into the billions of dollars,

The Gulf Coast of Florida was immensely impacted by Milton, hitting as a Category 3 hurricane 120-mph sustained winds. See damage in cities counties.