Power and other utilities are slowly being restored across Florida after Hurricane Milton tore through the state for less than 12 hours, leaving more than 4 million people without power and flooding neighborhoods at its peak.
Milton is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least 17 people in eight Florida counties.
Hurricane Milton became a strong Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall near Sarasota on Wednesday as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Gauge.
About 6 million residents were ordered to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, and officials warned that the storm was on track to cause unsurvivable storm surge around Tampa Bay.
Fortunately, the storm organization and loss of track south of Tampa Bay spared the city from significant storm surge, with 5 to 10 feet of water rise reported between Bradenton and Inglewood.
Even though the worst-case scenario for the state did not play out, more than a dozen people died as a result of the storm, many of which are believed to have been caused by tornado outbreaks that flattened mobile home parks. are.
Emergency managers say about 1,000 people have been rescued from the rubble and floodwaters, and at least 100 animals have been rescued.
Power outages have decreased, but millions remain in the dark
Thousands of utility workers have been working around the clock and have helped restore more than 1 million customers within 24 hours of Milton's landfall.
Most of the approximately 3 million homes still without power are expected to have power restored by the end of the week.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 50,000 power workers were working to restore power, particularly in the Tampa metro area, where downed trees and power lines were believed to have been hardest hit.
Wind gusts reached 161 mph in St. Petersburg and 98 mph in Tampa.
Fierce winds tore off the roof of St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field and toppled a giant crane from a building under construction downtown.
Milton creates a deadly tornado
In addition to hurricane-force winds and storm surge, at least 50 tornadoes touched down in Milton, including a significant tornado that destroyed part of a senior community in St. Lucie County.
Authorities do not yet know how many victims are trapped inside the Louvre, as many of the homes are part-time residences and are primarily used during the winter months.
First responders were seen going house to house north of Fort Pierce searching for victims.
FOX weather correspondent Brandi Campbell encountered tornado damage in Fort Myers.
“The front door was blown off inside the house, so all that wind and water came inside,” said one storm victim.
His street and many others were lined with large broken trees and debris that weren't there before the tornado.
The National Weather Service has found preliminary evidence that some twisters may have been significant on the Enhanced Fujita scale and rated higher than EF-2.
According to the FOX Prediction Center, less than 1% of all tornadoes associated with tropical systems are rated EF-3 or higher.
Tuesday's tornado outbreak was powered by a jet stream that injected energy and dry air around the system, causing a significant twister outbreak in Milton's outer band.
Recent disasters strain FEMA resources
The combination of wildfires and hurricanes has left the Federal Emergency Management Agency stretched thin, but the Department of Homeland Security has assured that it will respond in a timely manner to future disasters.
Only 8% of FEMA employees are unassigned, but funding and personnel will be adjusted based on the needs of the American people, according to the latest daily briefing.
“We have the funds to address immediate needs. If we have to devote the resources we have to immediate needs, we will do so at the expense of other efforts.” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said during a briefing Wednesday.
Hurricane season continues until November 30th, leaving about a month and a half until a tropical cyclone develops.
The FOX Hurricane Center says there is no immediate threat and recovery efforts will not be interrupted across hard-hit communities in the Southeast.
Milton's strength made it the fifth strongest cyclone on record in the Atlantic Basin, but it fell short of Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988), Labor Day (1935), and Rita (2005). .
