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The Florida Roundup is a live, weekly call-in show with a distinct focus on the issues affecting Floridians. Each Friday at noon, listeners can engage in the conversation with journalists, newsmakers and other Floridians about change, policy and the future of our lives in the sunshine state.Join our host, WLRN’s Tom Hudson, broadcasting from Miami.

Hurricane Milton, PolitiFact checks claims and the diary of an evacuee

Residents of the Preserve at Binks Forest neighborhood in Wellington, as well as first responders survey the damage of homes damaged by tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton.
Wilkine Brutus
/
WLRN
Residents of the Preserve at Binks Forest neighborhood in Wellington, as well as first responders survey the damage of homes damaged by tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we look at the widespread damage and the loss of life from Hurricane Milton, as well as filing claims in the wake of Helene and Milton. We also checked some recent claims related to FEMA funding and heard the story of one St. Petersburg resident as they evacuated ahead of Milton.

Hurricane Milton 

Hurricane Milton is the second major storm to hit Florida within the last two weeks. More than a million people were under evacuation orders.

Milton made its way across the state after making landfall in Sarasota County Wednesday night. With it came powerful winds, historic rains and deadly tornadoes.

We checked in with reporters from some of the hardest hit areas to discuss the devastation and early recovery efforts. We also heard from state officials about the resources available to those affected.

Guests:

  • Greg Allen, NPR's Miami correspondent 
  • Kerry Sheridan, reporter and co-host of All Things Considered at WUSF 
  • Molly Duerig, environmental reporter for Central Florida Public Media 
  • Chris Puorro, station manager for WQCS 
  • Rep. Toby Overdorf, member of the Florida House of Representatives (R-Stuart) 
  • Jimmy Patronis, Florida Chief Financial Officer 

PolitiFact checks claims 

There’s been a flurry of falsehoods about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) circulating in the wake of Hurricane Helene and now Milton. We turned to our partner PolitiFact to check some recent claims on FEMA funding.

Guest:

  • Katie Sanders, editor-in-chief for PolitiFact. 

Diary of an evacuee

More than a million people were under evacuation orders for Hurricane Milton. We hear the story of one St. Petersburg resident in the lead up to the storm as they considered whether to stay or go.

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