Former Santa Clarita Resident And KHTS Host Picks Up The Pieces From Hurricane Milton
From a SoCal Native: Keeping Up with Hurricane Season and Moving on From Milton
By Randy Keith , KHTS Morning Show Host (2004-2005), KNX Traffic Anchor/Airborne (1999-2008), KBET Producer/On-Air Talent (1994-1999)
Over a week after Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast, its effects are still being felt across Central Florida, even in areas far from the coasts. My wife Amy and I live in inland Lake County. We lost power during Milton's approach at nearly 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, which instantly brought me back to memories of earthquakes.
Growing up in Southern California, I experienced my fair share of major disasters (quakes and fires). January 17, 1994, the day of the Northridge Earthquake , marked a pivotal moment in my life. Coincidentally, that date has now also become my wedding anniversary, celebrated years later in 2015. With earthquakes, everything changes in an instant. The days leading up to that fateful morning were completely unremarkable—there were no signs or warnings, just the routine of everyday life.
After the quake, the uncertainty of aftershocks left a lasting impression. That uncertainty inspired me to embrace fearlessness in my journeys, including the time I spent living in Kansas City from 2008 to 2011.
When Amy and I moved to Orlando in 2016, we arrived during Hurricane Matthew, which felt like a rather poignant welcome to Florida's hurricane season. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was our first experience "hunkering down" during a tornado warning. Thankfully, in our current home, we have a storm shelter under the stairs, which gives us a greater sense of security during these extreme weather events.
Despite the anxiety hurricanes bring, there's comfort in the fact that we can prepare and plan weeks ahead, and having a safe space to shelter helps reduce the stress. While my friends back in California often express concern when they hear about hurricanes, I've learned to recognize how the media amplifies the drama. Because we live inland, my wife and I are not really concerned about flooding or certainly storm surge, which adds to my sense of calm.
I've come to understand the "media hype" and wait until 48 to 72 hours before landfall to start paying closer attention—no, I don't panic with everyone else.
This year, Hurricane Milton brought its own set of challenges. The storm knocked out power to millions and spawned around 150 tornadoes across Florida. As of Monday morning, power had been restored to about 90% of the 3.4 million homes and businesses that lost service when Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane south of Tampa. Despite this, some neighborhoods remained without power, and the hardest-hit areas, with severely damaged homes and businesses, will take much longer to recover .
Statewide, at least 11 people lost their lives as a result of the storm. While we were fortunate to avoid major damage, many of our neighbors had to deal with downed trees, damaged fences, and debris piles that still hadn't been picked up more than a week after landfall. There was so much pile up in front of certain houses that residents will have to wait another week for waste pickup to come back. Milton's path across Florida left widespread damage, especially closer to the coasts.
Though the feared storm surge in Tampa didn't materialize, Sarasota County saw surge levels reach 8 to 10 feet, and some areas received up to 18 inches of rain. Rescue operations were ongoing in parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, while flooding in Plant City reached levels that longtime residents said they had never seen before.
Numerous tornadoes also touched down on the state's East coast throughout Brevard and St. Lucie counties. The effects of Milton also impacted our work. Two of our clients, whose homes and businesses were more directly in the storm's path, postponed performances. One of our clients in Fort Pierce is raising money for the families that lost loved ones in a nearby tornado touchdown.
As we run a dueling piano entertainment business, it seems like the typical momentum leading into the holiday season has slowed, as everyone deals with storm recovery. Though hurricane season officially lasts until November 30th, I still prefer the predictability of hurricanes over the sudden shock of earthquakes.
With another month of potential storms ahead, I'm hopeful that once we get through this season, we'll settle into the cold, festive nature of the holidays in December.
