BOISE, Idaho — Category three Hurricane Milton crashed into central Florida Wednesday night, causing damage to many cities.
One Idahoan man who now lives in Florida hunkered down in his apartment in Palm Harbor while his daughter evacuated to another city. Jimmy Hamilton Jr. is a Boise native with most of his family still in Idaho, worried about his and his daughter’s safety.
On Friday, he spoke with KTVB to let his hometown know that he is safe.
Hamilton lives 20 miles north of St. Petersburg, one of the cities hit hard by Hurricane Milton.
All day on Friday, he spent time outside of his apartment, helping people in his communities through their flooded city.
Hamilton previously served in the Navy, which made him confident in navigating the floods and helping clean up after the disaster.
Most of the water Palm Harbor experienced was freshwater from getting more than 12 inches of rain.
Hamilton said his community lost power last night and it had still not been recovered by Friday afternoon.
Returning from a trip to Boise, Idaho, several weeks ago, he saw different kinds of natural disasters between the states, from wildfires to hurricanes.
Hamilton said the water had not fully receded from Hurricane Helene before Hurricane Milton came through and added to the flooding.
"We haven't had a long enough time between for the water to really, kind of recede in and go away,” Hamilton told KTVB Friday.
He credits his stock of battery packs, water, and ice for helping him be well-prepared for Hurricane Milton.
Friday afternoon, he said roads were starting to open and be used by vehicles again, but the effects of the hurricane ranged depending on the area and natural conditions.
Hamilton hopes that flooding in Palm Harbor specifically will return to normal sometime over the weekend, based on previous similar occasions in the area.