Hurricane Milton has devastated Florida from coast to coast, spawning a series of deadly tornadoes that left at least four people dead and millions without power on Thursday.
Milton made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night.
Sustained hurricane-force winds blew inland through communities still affected by Hurricane Helen two weeks ago, before blowing off Florida's east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
A vehicle becomes stranded on a flooded road after Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Brandon, Florida, on October 9, 2024. Milton made landfall in Florida on October 9, 2024, as a Category 3 “extremely dangerous” hurricane with life-threatening storm surge. , extreme winds and flash flooding occurred, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Data indicates the eyeball of Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along Florida's west coast,” the NHC said in a preliminary report at 8:30 p.m. (12:30 a.m. Thursday, Japan time). mentioned in. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)
October 10, 2024: Residents are rescued from an apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded by a flooded creek during Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
October 10, 2024: Residents are rescued from a two-story apartment building in Clearwater that was flooded by water from a creek during Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
First responders stand in the water outside an apartment complex that was flooded by Hurricane Milton and a creek overflowed in Clearwater, Florida, Oct. 10, 2024. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
October 10, 2024: Residents are rescued from a two-story apartment building in Clearwater that was flooded by water from a creek during Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
“The wind was the scariest part, because it shook the building and rattled the windows, even if they were storm-proof,” Sarasota resident Carrie Elizabeth said when she showed up early Thursday to inspect the damage. ” he said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the storm spawned deadly tornadoes and left more than 3 million people without power.
St. Lucie County on the East Coast confirmed “four deaths from these tornadoes” in a statement on its website.
At the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, winds uprooted a large tree, tore off the roof and caused a construction crane to fall on a nearby building downtown.
A drone image of the Tropicana Field dome torn apart by Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida. At least four people are confirmed dead from two tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton. Local officials on Florida's east coast made the announcement Thursday. (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
The roof of Tropicana Field is seen damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton struck the area in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Drone image shows the torn Tropicana Field dome in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10, 2024. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
In Clearwater on the West Coast, emergency crews on rescue boats were called out in daylight to pull stranded residents trapped in their homes into more than several meters of flood water.
Even after the eye of the typhoon left the peninsula, communities continued to contend with strong winds, heavy rain, and the risk of flash flooding.
Amid the threat of a tornado, St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video on his department's Facebook page warning residents to evacuate. It showed a destroyed police car garage.
“The difficult thing about tornadoes is you don't know where they're going to hit,” St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Zadowski told reporters.
Drone image shows flooded roads from Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024. (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
On October 10, 2024, a wall of stairs in St. Petersburg is blown away by Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
A collapsed crane is seen on a building in downtown St. Petersburg, Oct. 10, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
Property damage after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 10, 2024. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A traffic light pole collapses in downtown Orlando, Florida, on October 10, 2024, due to Hurricane Milton. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
On October 10, 2024, a tree fell in front of a property in downtown Kissimmee, Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
Trees fell after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 10, 2024. More than 3 million people were without power as of Thursday morning after Hurricane Milton made landfall and moved across the state. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In this aerial photo, flood waters inundate neighborhoods after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Punta Gorda, Florida, on October 10, 2024. The storm made landfall in the Siesta Key area of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, causing damage and flooding throughout central Florida. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
In this aerial photo of Punta Gorda, Florida, on October 10, 2024, a beached boat rests in a yard as Hurricane Milton passed through the area. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
This aerial photo shows a boat washed ashore as Hurricane Milton passed through the area in Punta Gorda, Florida on October 10, 2024. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
Homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A home destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A car is buried in sand after Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
By Thursday morning, Milton had weakened to a Category 1 storm, but still had winds of up to 85 mph (140 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are becoming more severe and frequent as temperatures rise due to climate change. Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, providing more energy for storms to form.
“It's nerve-wracking”
Milton comes just two weeks after another major hurricane, Helen, devastated Florida and other southeastern states, and emergency crews are still working to provide relief.
Helen, which killed at least 235 people, was the second deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States in more than half a century, after Katrina, which hit Louisiana in 2005 and killed nearly 1,400 people. Ta.
Despite the mass evacuation, pool business owner Randy Pryor said he plans to evict Milton at his home because he is still recovering from Helen's illness.
“I'm nervous. This is what we just experienced with another storm – the ground is saturated and we're still recovering from that,” Pryor, 36, told AFP.
In Sarasota, Elizabeth expressed the feeling of many that despite the violent night, Hurricane Milton was not as bad as feared.
“I felt very safe in our building. It turned out okay, but I was very nervous,” she said.
“We feel very lucky,” she said. “It's going to take a long time to recover, but it could have been much worse. So we feel lucky.”
AFP contributed to this article.
