Hurricane Milton live updates: Florida surveys ‘tragic’ damage in wake of monster storm, dozens of tornadoes
Multiple fatalities have already been reported as Hurricane Milton continues to wreak havoc as it moves off Florida’s east coast
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At least 12 people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated portions of Florida, leaving residents waking up to survey the damage.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing multiple tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Four people in St Lucie County retirement village have been killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.
Ferocious winds caused a crane to collapse into the The Tampa Bay Times in St Petersburg, while the roof of Tropicana Field baseball stadium has been left in disrepair.
More than 3.3m homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted.
Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those who neglected advice. “What we’ll probably be finding in the morning are bodies,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday morning.
After landfall, Milton has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is moving off Florida’s east coast – with residents still battling against brutal winds and storm surge.
St. Petersburg Mayor to hold press conference at 5 p.m. EDT
DeSantis warns Floridians Atlantic hurricane season isn’t over
“We’re not out of hurricane season yet. I don’t want to scare anybody, but the reality is [that] hurricane season goes through November,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Thursday afternoon.
DeSantis said that there’s usually a diminished chance for a major hurricane later into October. October is the third-most-active month of the season for tropical activity in the Atlantic Basin, according to FOX Weather.
“It’s possible something could happen in the later part of October,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s likely but, it’s just - that is a possibility.”
The Atlantic season runs through November 30. Hurricane Milton was the Gulf’s strongest late-season storm on record, and the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita in 2005.
AccuWeather preliminary estimates: Total damage and economic loss from Milton could be $160-$180B
AccuWeather forecasters said Thursday that the company preliminarily estimates total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Milton could reach between $160-$180 billion.
“With Hurricane Milton’s total damage and economic losses of $160-180 billion, the sum of two hurricanes in just three weeks elapsed time has a total damage and economic loss of near 2 percent of the country’s GDP, putting the Federal Reserve in a quandary,” AccuWeather Founder Dr. Joel N. Myers said in a release.
Storm surge still expected along Florida’s east coast
“Even though Hurricane Milton has exited the east coast of Florida, storm surge is still expected along the east coast,” Florida Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie said Thursday.
“Major flooding continues along Hillsborough, St. Johns, and the Little Wekiva Rivers. And, water levels are forecast to continue rising, not going down,” he said.
Residents in those areas should continue to shelter in place until officials determine it’s safe to go outside.
DeSantis: 340 people rescued across Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Thursday, speaking in Sarasota, that 340 individuals and 49 pets have been rescued across Florida thus far.
Operations would continue throughout the day.
Dolphin pod attempts to escape choppy waters around Florida
Lee County Sheriff warns intruders will be charged ‘to the fullest extent of the law'
The death toll from Milton rises to 12
Tampa police found a woman in her 70s underneath a tree branch Thursday morning.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FOX 13 Tampa.
The station reported authorities said post-hurricane restoration efforts were being done on the property when the branch fell.
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