Florida begins cleanup and recovery after hurricane

(Patria) - Florida began clearing fallen trees and power lines and clearing flooded neighborhoods on Friday after Hurricane Milton swept through, leaving at least 16 dead.

Although Milton did not cause the catastrophic storm surge feared in Florida, one of many states hit by Hurricane Helene about two weeks ago, the cleanup operation could take weeks or months for some people.

- It opens your eyes to what Mother Nature can do - said Chase Pierce from St. Petersburg, Florida, who, with his girlfriend, saw transformers explode, sparks fly, and a power line fall in his yard.

Milton, the fifth-strongest Atlantic hurricane in history, could cost insurance companies up to $100 billion, analysts say.

The White House has pledged government support as the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

However, Republican Donald Trump, who trails Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll ahead of the November 5 presidential election, attacked his opponents over their handling of storm recovery efforts.

- The federal government... has not done what it should have done, especially regarding North Carolina - he said on Thursday. North Carolina was hard hit by Helene, and Trump faces a tight race against Harris there.

Harris, who said Trump was spreading lies about the government's response, pushed back against politicization during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.