Manatee County urging everyone to stay in place during damage assessments

BRADENTON, Fla. - Hurricane Milton brought widespread destruction to Florida’s Gulf coast, including Manatee County, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the region.

In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday morning, Manatee County Emergency Management Director Jodie Fiske said seven "first-in teams" are mobilized across the county to conduct damage assessments.

Each team is made up of 16 to 20 staff members from different departments, including law enforcement, fire, public works and transit.

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Teams are beginning to assess widespread damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Manatee County. (Courtesy: Manatee County Government)

Fiske urged everyone to resist the temptation to go out and check out the damage.

"These teams have been able to do amazing work, amazingly fast," Fiske said. "That said, you need to give these folks and the power company linemen from FPL and PRECO plenty of space to do their jobs."

Hurricane Milton's impact on Manatee County

FOX 13's Matthew McClellan shows us some of the flooding in West Bradenton in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

Closures and evacuations

Bradenton Beach had just reopened when Manatee County officials closed the beach again, closing entry to Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach with it. Holmes Beach Police William Tokajer went as far as to tell residents who ignored evacuation orders not to call police once the storm began because "we aren’t going to be able to help you."

Sun Coast officials took measures to mitigate the impact of the storms on its residents, ordering the evacuations of anyone living in Zones A-C, residents of mobile and manufactured homes, and anyone living in an RV.

The county also closed all public buildings, parks, and public schools through Friday, Oct. 11.

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