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Hurricane Milton live updates: Biden visits hard-hit communities in Florida as power outages continue in Tampa

Forecasters have warned that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks

Julia Musto,Stuti Mishra
Sunday 13 October 2024 10:09
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CNN host gets hit by flying debris live on air while covering Hurricane Milton

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President Joe Biden is visiting Florida today to tour communities impacted by Hurricane Milton.

During the visit, the president is expected to announce more than $600m in funding for projects for electric grid resilience, to help the state become better equipped to deal with future storms.

With the storm also impacting fuel delivery, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state is also offering free gasoline at state fuel depots.

So far, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.

Six people in St Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.

While Floridians return home to survey the damage to their communities, officials are warning that major flooding could still hit north of Tampa.

As of Sunday morning, more than 900,000 homes were still without power in Florida, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. Damage from the storm is estimated to have cost upwards of $160bn.

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Florida couple reveal Hurricane Milton unearthed long-lost wedding ring

A Florida couple has revealed that Hurricane Milton unearthed a long-lost wedding ring which had been missing for almost a decade.

Laura and Basil Yorio told Fox35 that the ring vanished without a trace nine years ago while they were going through a construction project on their home in Palm Bay, Florida.

It had not been seen since.

On Wednesday, Hurricane Milton tore through their neighborhood.

When they returned home, Laura said she spotted something shiny in their yard.

“I looked down and saw a silver ring and thought it was like a key ring,” she said.

They then realized what it was.

“We’re very mindful that a lot of people are going through terrible things, and I feel almost a little guilty feeling happy about all of this, but it was something good.”

Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 19:00
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Floridians return to homes shattered by Hurricane Milton

Floridians return to homes shattered by Hurricane Milton
Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 18:30
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Lieutenant Dan became an overnight sensation riding out Hurricane Milton. Then his long criminal past came to light

Joseph Malinkowski became a ‘cult hero’ overnight for his defiant stand in the face of Hurricane Milton. Mike Bedigan and Kelly Rissman delve into his sprawling criminal history that rocked the boat and social media:

Lt. Dan became a sensation riding out Milton. Then his criminal past came to light

Joseph Malinkowski became a ‘cult hero’ overnight for his defiant stand in the face of Hurricane Milton. Mike Bedigan and Kelly Rissman delve into his sprawling criminal history that rocked the boat and social media

Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 18:00
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‘Selfish child’: Chris Christie slams Trump for politicizing Hurricane Milton

Chris Christie has slammed Donald Trump for politicizing Hurricane Milton as Florida begins recovery efforts from the “once in a lifetime” storm.

“He is a selfish child,” Christie told The New York Times opinion journalist Frank Bruni.

“And he doesn’t care that these people in North Carolina are suffering the way they are, if caring costs him one bit of perceived political advantage.”

Trump has been peddling conspiracies about the federal government’s response to both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including a debunked claim that money from FEMA is being diverted away from hurricane survivors towards illegal migrants.

Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 17:30
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Fake photos of Disney World flooded during Hurricane Milton spread online by Russian news agency

Images spread online supposedly showing Disney World in Florida underwater as a result of Hurricane Milton appear to be fake and have been generated using artificial intelligence.

Disney World, located in Orlando, Florida, announced they would close their theme parks amid rare measures ahead of the dangerous Hurricane Milton directly hitting the area, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rainfall and hazardous storm surge.

As Milton made landfall on Wednesday, all three Orlando-based parks, including Universal Orlando and SeaWorld alongside Disney, ground to a halt and shut down operations that would have usually welcomed tens of thousands of tourists.

Read more:

AI-generated images of Disney World flooded by Hurricane Milton circulate online

The photos have been widely circulated online, falsely showing the theme park underwater

Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 17:00
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1.6 million still without power in Florida

Three days after Milton smashed into Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, 1.6 million homes are still in the dark.

As of around 11am ET Saturday morning, 1.58 million customers were without power in the Sunshine State, according to Poweroutage.us.

In hard-hit Pinellas County, more than half were still in the midst of a power outage (373,000 out of 567,000 customers).

Rachel Sharp12 October 2024 16:30
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Hernando County sees historic flooding

Stuti Mishra12 October 2024 16:00
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Brit recalls ‘holiday from hell’ with seven children as Hurricane Milton devastates Florida

A British holidaymaker has described his “holiday from hell” after he was stuck in Florida with his brother and seven young children as Hurricane Milton made landfall in the US.

Jordan Sly was due to fly back to London on Wednesday with his three children, his brother Zak, and Zak’s four children. But as Hurricane Milton approached and Florida braced for its second devastating storm in as many weeks, their flight home was cancelled.

The seven children, aged between four months and 11 years old, were put to bed by Mr Sly and his brother in their Davenport holiday home. But when the storm hit in the early hours of the morning, chaos followed.

The Independent’s Alex Croft has more:

Brit recalls ‘holiday from hell’ with 7 children as Hurricane Milton strikes Florida

Jordan Sly recalls ‘everyone screaming’ as Hurricane Milton struck, setting off the alarms in their holiday home

Stuti Mishra12 October 2024 15:30
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Photos show Treasure Island devastation

Stuti Mishra12 October 2024 15:00
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How to protect yourself from wild animals after Milton

Stuti Mishra12 October 2024 14:30

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