Hurricane Milton tore a coast-to-coast path of destruction across the state of Florida, whipping up a spate of deadly tornadoes that left at least four people dead and millions without power Thursday.
Milton made landfall Wednesday night on the Florida Gulf Coast as a major Category 3 storm.
Sustained hurricane-force winds smashed inland through communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, before roaring off Florida’s east coast into the Atlantic.
A vehicle is stranded on a water-flooded street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Brandon, Florida on October 9, 2024. Milton made landfall in Florida October 9, 2024 as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane, packing life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Data indicate the eye of Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida,” the NHC said in an 8:30 pm
Residents are rescued from an apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Florida.
Residents are rescued from an their second story apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Florida.
First responders in the water outside an apartment complex that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Florida.
Residents are rescued from an their second story apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Florida.
“The wind was the scariest thing because the building sways and the windows rattle, even though they’re storm-proof windows,” said Sarasota resident Carrie Elizabeth, as she emerged to inspect the aftermath early Thursday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the storm triggered deadly tornadoes and left more than three million people were without power.
In a statement on its website, St. Lucie County on the east coast confirmed “four fatalities as a result of these tornadoes.”
Wind uprooted large trees and ripped apart the roof at the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, and sent a construction crane falling onto a downtown building nearby.
A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field which has been torn open due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10, 2024. At least four people were confirmed killed as a result of two tornadoes triggered by Hurricane Milton on the east coast of the state of Florida, local authorities said Thursday.
The roof of Tropicana Field is seen damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region on Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field which has been torn open due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10, 2024.
In Clearwater on the west coast, emergency crews in rescue boats were out at first light, plucking stranded residents trapped in their homes by more than meter of floodwater water.
As the eye of the storm exited the peninsula, communities were still contending with strong winds, heavy rainfall, and the risk of flash floods.
Amid fear of tornadoes, St. Lucie County sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video on his department’s Facebook page warning residents to seek shelter. It showed a garage for police cars that had been destroyed.
“The difficulty with the tornadoes is that we don’t know where they’re going to land,” St. Lucie County commissioner Chris Dzadovsky told reporters.
A drone image shows a flooded street due to Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024.
A stairwell wall is blown out in St. Petersburg due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Florida.
A crane that collapsed into a building is seen in downtown St. Petersburg due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024, in Florida.
Property damage after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024.
A traffic light pole is down in downtown Orlando, Florida, due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024.
A tree fell on the front of a property in downtown Kissimee, Florida, due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024.
Downed trees after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024. More than 3 million people are without power as of Thursday morning, after Hurricane Milton made landfall and crossed the state.
In this aerial view, Flood waters inundate a neighborhood after Hurricane Milton came ashore on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Siesta Key area of Florida, causing damage and flooding throughout Central Florida.
In this aerial view, boats rest in a yard after they were washed ashore when Hurricane Milton passed through the area on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida.
In this aerial view, boats are washed ashore from when Hurricane Milton passed through the area on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Destroyed homes after Hurricane Milton in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024.
A destroyed home after Hurricane Milton in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024.
Cars buried in sand after Hurricane Milton in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024.
By Thursday morning, Milton weakened to a Category 1 storm but was still registering powerful winds of up to 85 mph (140 kph) , according to the National Hurricane Center.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are occurring with greater severity and frequency as temperatures rise due to climate change. As warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, they provide more energy for storms as they form.
‘Nerve Wracking’
Milton struck just two weeks after another major hurricane, Helene, devastated Florida and other southeastern states, with emergency crews still working to provide relief.
Killing at least 235 people, Helene was the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States in more than half a century after Katrina, which ravaged the state of Louisiana in 2005, claiming nearly 1,400 lives.
Despite mass evacuations, pool business owner Randy Prior said he planned to ride out Milton at home, as he was still recovering from Helene.
“I am nervous. This is something we just went through with the other storm — ground saturated, still recovering from that,” Prior, 36, told AFP.
In Sarasota, Elizabeth expressed the feelings of many that despite the violent night, Hurricane Milton was not quite as bad as had been feared.
“I felt like our building was very secure. So it turned out to be fine, but it was very nerve wracking,” she said.
“I feel that we’re very lucky,” she said. “It’ll take a long time to clean up, but it could have been much worse. So I feel like we’re lucky.”
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