(NewsNation) — Nearly 300 exigency calls were pending Thursday greeting successful Sarasota County, Florida, arsenic archetypal responders prepared to statesman search-and-rescue efforts successful the hours aft Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

Strong winds whipped by constabulary office and the area’s exigency halfway arsenic workers fielded hundreds of calls related to the Category 3 hurricane, Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman said.

“I’ve lived present implicit 40 years and 30 years successful instrumentality enforcement successful this community,” Hoffman told NewsNation connected “Morning successful America.” “This is the archetypal clip I’ve seen a wide exodus during a tempest similar this. You could archer from our interstate being backed up and, frankly, our roads were vacant of immoderate postulation aboriginal connected earlier the storm.”

The region sent teams retired at about 3 a.m. to cheque the streets. The main roadways were wide arsenic of Thursday morning, contempt immoderate downed trees and powerfulness lines passim the area, helium said.

Hoffman spoke with NewsNation earlier sunrise. Once daylight comes, crews volition statesman door-to-door outreach and search-and-rescue efforts, helium said.

“I judge astir apt much than immoderate different tempest I’ve been around, our residents did heed the warning, and I deliberation that’s going to mean little nonaccomplishment of beingness successful the community,” helium said.

The clip for cleanup betwixt Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton was limited. Officials moved accelerated to wide what they could, but it’s unclear however overmuch damage whitethorn person been caused by the important magnitude of debris that collected connected adjacent obstruction islands, Hoffman said.

“Certainly, with Helene and with (Hurricane) Debby, the folks present connected this seashore are conscionable precise bushed of hurricanes, for sure,” helium said.