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 14 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.
Six 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.
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Milton was not as destructive as expected, FEMA Administrator says
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Thursday that Milton’s impact was not as destructive as feared. Criswell will tour some of the damage from tornadoes on Friday.
“We did not have the extreme impacts of the worst case scenario that we prepared for, but there’s still so many people that have been impacted by this,” she said at a press briefing in Sarasota.
25 people rescued from St. Lucie County mobile home park, sheriff says
St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told CNN Thursday that 25 people have been rescued from a mobile home park.
He said crews are continuing to look for others, but that conditions make it difficult.
Tampa sees more than five times the normal amount of rain
Hurricane Milton brought 12 inches of rainfall to Tampa.
According to WFLA, that amount is more than five times the normal amount of rain for the month of October.
Estimated restoration times will be issued for Duke Energy customers by Friday
Post-Hurricane Milton assessments have begun at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Hillsborough County rescues more than 500 people
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said Thursday that they had made more than 500 rescues.
More than 100 pets were also saved, according to FOX 13 Tampa.
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