THORNTON, Colo. — At least a dozen people are dead after Hurricane Milton ripped through Florida on Wednesday night. The storm made landfall as a Category 3, loaded with strong winds and a massive storm surge.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there have been hundreds of rescues so far. Millions of people are without power and more than 10,000 federal staff members are on the ground supporting the recovery.
Some Florida homeowners had to watch the destruction from afar not knowing exactly how bad the damage is. Thornton resident Christine Clippinger has a home in Sarasota, Florida. She is still waiting on news about her place.
"When I looked at [the hurricane path] I went, 'Oh, our house is right there,'" she said. "This isn't good, this isn't good."
Clippinger knows she's fortunate. Even if her place in Florida is damaged, she has her home in Thornton. She knows others aren't so lucky.
"I'm just so sorry for these people. I think it's especially painful when I think about the people that have been through Ian, been through Helene," Clippinger said "They've lost their homes, they've lost their businesses and now they're getting hit again."
Images of devastation are all over Clippinger's Facebook. One video showed a resident trudging through two feet of water to assess their neighborhood. Another photo showed furniture thrown out after Hurricane Helene damaged it, blocking the middle of intersections.
So far 12 people have died from this storm, but that number might go up. Clippinger hasn't seen her home just yet but photos of her neighborhood make her believe she was spared.
"When I see those photos and I only see downed branches," she said. "I don’t see roofs ripped off [and] I don’t see people hurt. When I see that and I see that’s all that happened, I mean [I'm] very lucky."
Clippinger and her husband plan to fly down in a couple of weeks to see the damage. She hopes to volunteer for clean-up efforts at that time.
"I definitely don’t wish we were there for the hurricane but I wish we were there today," Clippinger said. "I wish we were there today to help the neighbors, to help the community. Even if our neighborhood is okay, I know for a fact that there’s many, many places that are not okay and what could get involved."