$20B Damage, 1 Death, Leave Or Stay, Flooding From Idalia: FL News

FLORIDA — On the weekend, we present a week in review of the top stories and headlines from all across Florida. Here's a roundup of some of the biggest stories across the state. You can also find your local Patch and catch up on those stories by clicking here.

Top news stories this week in Florida all stemmed from the punch the state took from Hurricane Idalia. President Joe Biden will set to travel to Florida to assess storm damage — estimated to be up to $20 billion — as tens of thousands of Floridians remained without power.

Though flooding has receded, infrastructure has reopened across Florida, and officials are repeatedly noting that the damage wasn't as bad as expected, there are residents in the Big Bend region — where Idalia made landfall as a category 3 hurricane — who lost it all. And the mold and muck left behind poses serious health risks to residents as they clean up.

Idalia's one confirmed death occurred in Georgia, where a man in Valdosta died when a tree fell on him as he tried to clear the road. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the Florida Highway Patrol reported two people were killed in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.

Here are some of this week's top news headlines:

Don’t Frolic In Hurricane Idalia Floodwaters: FL Officials

Hazardous contaminants, dangerous critters and more threats lurk in the waters covering parts of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. With all that standing water, it might seem like a fun idea to frolic in it and explore Idalia’s aftermath, but Florida officials warn against it. There are several health risks that come with interacting with floodwaters: flesh-eating bacteria, dangerous wildlife, downed power lines and the possibility of being swept away.

Rare 'St. Elmo's Fire' Phenomenon Captured During Hurricane Idalia

Pilots at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa filmed a rare weather phenomenon known as St. Elmo's Fire ahead of Hurricane Idalia's landfall Tuesday. While St. Elmo's Fire looks like lightning, it's not. IFL Science describes it as "a continuous electric spark" that occurs when the atmosphere becomes charged and strong enough to cause a discharge of plasma between an object and the air around it.

Mosquitoes, Mold, Flesh-Eating Bacteria: Post-Idalia Risks

As floodwaters recede and cleanup continues after Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, Floridians face new, but familiar, risks like flesh-eating bacteria, mosquitoes and carbon monoxide poisoning, health officials warned Thursday.

‘Burned Out’ Floridians Are Staying Put For Tropical Storm Idalia

As Tampa Bay-area residents prepared for Tropical Storm Idalia to hit Florida, it invoked memories of two recent hurricanes that wreaked havoc on the region in recent years — Irma and Ian. The uncertainty leaves many wondering whether they should hunker down or evacuate. “I’m staying put, but I am fortunate to be in a no evacuation zone, so I’m grateful for that. But during Irma I swore I’d never ride out another one. Yet, here I am,” Jean Sheridan of Dunedin told Patch. “I feel burned out from last year with Ian, but I still have all those supplies.”

• Hurricane Idalia Essentials: Chocolate, Coffee, Liquor, Board Games
• Never Been Through A Florida Hurricane? Here's What You Should Know
• $20B Idalia Damage, Power Restoration In Big Bend, Biden To Visit FL
• Hurricane Idalia: Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Answer Could Save Life

Pig Missing During Hurricane Returns To Sarasota Museum, Nature Center

After disappearing Wednesday during Hurricane Idalia, Pigpig the pig has returned to Crowley Museum & Nature Centerin Sarasota. “Our wayward son is home,” the museum wrote in a Facebook post. “We were so happy to see this adorable feller.”

Homes Leveled, Flood Water Rescues: 33 Photos Of Idalia's Destruction

On Thursday, Hurricane Idalia had already barreled through the Carolinas and was offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, but the devastation it left behind in Florida will take months to repair. Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida early Wednesday morning as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds near 125 mph. Later in the day, when it crossed into Georgia, top wind speeds clocked in at 150 mph.

Rare Wild Flamingos Seen Across FL’s West Coast After Hurricane Idalia

There have been a flurry of rare wild American flamingo sightings throughout Florida’s west coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, which passed through the Gulf of Mexico along the coast before making landfall as a Category 3 storm in the Big Bend area Wednesday afternoon.

Hurricane Idalia Insurance Claims: 5 Things To Know

Hurricane Idalia battered parts of Florida this week as a Category 3 storm, uprooting trees, downing power lines and likely damaging numerous homes. Here's what to do to file an insurance claim if your home was damaged during Hurricane Idalia.

More Hurricane Headlines:

• 260,000 Gallons Of Tainted Gas Distributed To These Tampa Bay Stations
• FL Activates Price-Gouging Hotline Ahead Of Hurricane Idalia
• Hurricane Idalia Slams Into FL's Big Bend: 'Unprecedented Event'
• ‘Don’t Be A Hurricane Tourist’ After Idalia Floods Manatee: Official
• Flooding Causes Tesla Electric Vehicle To Catch Fire In Dunedin
• Hillsborough Sheriff's Deputies Rescue Residents As River Floods Homes
• Widespread Flooding Inundates Downtown Tampa, Bayshore Due To Idalia
• Widespread Flooding Inundates Pasco, Pinellas Following Idalia
• 2 Hurricanes, Depression Create Colorful Kaleidoscope From Space
• Hurricane Idalia: Taking Care Of Business Can Speed Up Reopenings
• 75 Rescued From Floods, Shore Acres Home Burns: Hurricane Idalia
• Surveyor Stuck In Muddy Drainage Canal Rescued: Manatee Firefighters
• In Idalia's Wake, Tampa Fire Rescue Battles Fire At Concrete Warehouse
• Hundreds Saved In Pinellas County During 60 Hurricane Rescue Missions
• Rubonia Still Feeling Effects Of Heavy Flooding After Idalia: Manatee
• 160 Rescued By Pasco Deputies, New Port Richey Police During Hurricane

Also Worth a Look Today

• Man Falls Overboard On Wonder Of The Seas Cruise Ship: Reports
• FL Proud Boys Leader Sentenced In Jan. 6 Seditious Conspiracy Case
• 2 Students Stabbed At Countryside High School; Classes Dismissed Early
• Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Suspends 2024 Presidential Bid
• $3.75M Winning Florida Lotto Ticket Sold At Gas Station
• Student Found With Loaded Gun At Hillsborough High School: Police
• Officers Remove Snake From Bradenton Home During Hurricane: Watch
• Sheriff’s Office Helicopter Crashes In Broward County: Officials

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