SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Hurricane Milton hit SRQ harder than any airport in Florida, according to Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of SRQ.

The roof membrane began to lift as eyewall winds gusts hit the airport at 90 mph. The roof settled when the wind dropped to zero at 9pm on Wednesday. Then, at 9:36 p.m., the storm’s trailing eyewall was hit by 100 mph winds. The airport’s management team took shelter in the Viewing Lounge overlooking the roof and the empty tarmac. They watched as the wind tore the roof off.

Cast iron pipes that drain rain were the next to go, filling them with debris and flooding the second floor and roof tiles there. The heavy rainfall soaked the tile floor and carpet. The damaged roof tiles must be replaced before passengers can enter the terminals.

Flying roof debris now lies on the empty asphalt. Every bit of it needs to be cleaned up so that debris doesn’t get sucked into the jet engines. And the remaining sections of roof membrane must be removed and replaced with a temporary roof while the cast iron roof drains are repaired to prevent further flooding to the second floor.

That’s why you can’t fly until Wednesday.

The temporary roof cost almost $400,000. Hopefully it will be completed so that flights can resume on Wednesday. Then the final roof repairs can begin. Rick Piccolo estimates this will cost another $3,000,000.

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