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
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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.
Emergency Shoulder Use no longer in effect
Florida Transportation Department says Emergency Shoulder Use is no longer in effect.
NASA targeting no earlier than Sunday after noon for Europa Clipper mission launch
Milton pushes Alafia to highest-recorded flooding in Lithia since 1933
Lithia’s Alafia River rose to 23 feet during Hurricane Milton — 4 feet higher than what’s designated as major flooding, and the highest recorded mark since 1933, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How Hurricane Helene's 'wake up call' helped Florida residents prepare for Milton
Florida residents who fled hundreds of miles to escape Hurricane Milton made slow trips home on crowded highways, weary from their long journeys and the clean up work awaiting them but also grateful to be coming back alive.
"I love my house, but I'm not dying in it," Fred Neuman said on Friday while walking his dog outside a rest stop off Interstate 75 north of Tampa.
Mr Neuman and his wife live in Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall on Wednesday night as a powerful, Category 3 hurricane.
Heeding local evacuation orders ahead of the storm, they drove nearly 500 miles (800 kilometres) to Destin on the Florida Panhandle. Neighbours told the couple the hurricane destroyed their carport and inflicted other damage, but Mr Neuman shrugged, saying their insurance should cover it.
Nearby, Lee and Pamela Essenburm made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at a picnic table as cars pulling off the slow-moving interstate waited for parking spaces outside the crowded rest stop.
Their home in Palmetto, on the south end of Tampa Bay, had a tree fall in the backyard. They evacuated fearing the damage would be more severe, worrying Milton might hit as a catastrophic Category 4 or 5 storm.
"I wasn't going to take a chance on it," Lee Essenbaum said. "It's not worth it."
Milton killed at least 10 people when it tore across central Florida, flooding barrier islands, ripping the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium and spawning deadly tornadoes.
Officials say the toll could have been worse if not for the widespread evacuations. The still-fresh devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene just two weeks earlier probably helped compel many people to flee.
"Helene likely provided a stark reminder of how vulnerable certain areas are to storms, particularly coastal regions," said Craig Fugate, who served as administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under president Barack Obama.
"When people see first hand what can happen, especially in neighbouring areas, it can drive behaviour change in future storms."
The Associated Press.
FHP troopers team up with FWC for search and rescue efforts
Florida pig, named Millie, rescued from Hurricane Milton floodwaters
Rescue efforts continue in the state of Florida as fears of Hurricane Milton lingers over residents.
Hundreds of people and dozens of animals have been pulled out of floodwaters including a pig named Millie.
The Independent’s Noopur Jambhekar has more: https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/hurricane-milton-florida-pig-rescue-b2628117.html
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