Less damage than expected, still at least 6 dead, millions in the dark after Hurricane Milton

UPDATE | Oct. 10, 2024, 4:18 PM CST |

Tampa, Fla. — Hurricane Milton brought powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and flooding to much of Florida after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

It weakened as it plowed through Florida late Wednesday into Thursday. Power outages were widespread and at least six deaths have been reported from severe weather.

The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it roared ashore in Siesta Key, south of the populated Tampa Bay region, the National Hurricane Center said. High winds, heavy rain and flooding hit areas including densely populated Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Animals at a zoo and an aquarium in Tampa are faring well after the storm

Tampa, Fla. — A spokesperson for ZooTampa said Thursday all 1,000 animals at the zoo are safe and will remain in their night houses and hurricane shelter locations while habitats are cleared of debris. The Florida Aquarium in Tampa also confirmed their animals are “doing well.”

The zoo sustained some damage from the high winds and does not have power, and the spokesperson anticipates the debris cleanup and restoration, which is already underway, will take a few days.

The Florida Aquarium’s buildings in downtown Tampa and Apollo Beach also “appear to have minor weather-related damage,” the aquarium said in a Thursday press release.

As of Thursday afternoon, both the aquarium and the zoo aim to reopen Saturday, depending on when power is restored.

Coast Guard rescues a man clinging to an ice chest in the Gulf of Mexico

Tampa, Fla. — A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a man who was left clinging to an ice chest in the Gulf of Mexico after his boat was stranded overnight in waters roiled by Hurricane Milton.

The man was aboard a fishing vessel that became disabled Wednesday off Madeira Beach, Florida, hours before the hurricane made landfall, said Coast Guard press officer Nicole Groll. The man, who was not identified, was able to radio the Coast Guard station in nearby St. Petersburg before contact was lost about 6:45 p.m.

But on Thursday searchers located the man about 30 miles (48 kilometers) off Longboat Key, Florida, clinging to an open cooler chest, a video clip provided by the Coast Guard shows. In the video, a Coast Guard diver was lowered from a helicopter and swam to the man to pick him up.

The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical treatment, the Coast Guard said. The fate of his boat was unknown. A hospital spokesperson was not able to provide a condition without the man’s name.

All warnings related to Milton have been discontinued

The U.S. National Hurricane Center discontinued all storm surge and tropical storm warnings related to Milton, now a post-tropical cyclone, as of their latest and final advisory.

Milton was located about 220 miles northeast of Great Abaco Island, one of the Bahama's northmost island, and was moving east away from Florida's coastline at 21 mph as of 5 p.m. Thursday. It has sustained winds of 70 mph and was expected to continue weakening, the hurricane center said.

DeSantis speaks to the ‘resilience’ of Floridians during back-to-back hurricanes

Sarasota, Fla. — “You face two hurricanes in a couple of weeks — not easy to go through — but I’ve seen a lot of resilience throughout this state,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Thursday afternoon briefing in Sarasota.

“When you’re a Floridian, you kind of just know that these are things that can happen, and you roll with it and you just kind of deal with it,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of grit, I’ve seen a lot of determination and I’m very confident that this area is going to bounce back very, very quickly.”

Tampa airport sustains “minimal damage” and should reopen Friday

Tallahassee, Fla. — The Tampa airport is repairing “minimal damage” and should reopen Friday - a day after Hurricane Milton slammed into the West Coast of Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also said at a Thursday briefing that ocean ports will likely be able to resume operations “very quickly."

DeSantis was speaking at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

DeSantis said the state has not officially confirmed any fatalities, but “that does not mean there has not been any,” he said. He said he’s aware of reports of fatalities associated with tornadoes on the eastern side of the state.

Florida's governor says his state was spared 'the worst case scenario'

Hurricane Milton was a significant storm but not “the worst case scenario," Florida's governor says.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Thursday that the worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet  — less than in the worst place during Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.

“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” he said. “The storm was significant but thankfully, this was not the worst case scenario.”

Water levels in many Florida rivers are forecast to continue rising, he said. Because of the amount of water flooding happen not just now but in the subsequent days, he said.

Milton wind speeds still a serious threat into the morning

Milton powered east-northeast across Florida to the Atlantic Ocean and offshore early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (145 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an 8 a.m. update.

That kept Milton at Category 1 hurricane strength.

Category 1 storms, though not considered “major” hurricanes, are still devastating. The catastrophic Hurricane Katrina made its initial landfall along the southeast coast of Florida in 2005 as a Category 1 and was one of the deadliest and most costly storms to hit the mainland U.S. as it strengthened.

Sustained winds differ from gusts, which were reported as high as 102 mph in some parts of Florida during the early hours of Milton. Gusts are sudden bursts in wind speed, are typically higher than sustained winds and last only a few seconds at a time.

Overnight, several high wind gusts were reported, including 84 mph at Daytona Beach International Airport; 77 mph  at a NASA weather station at Cape Canaveral; and 62 mph at Melbourne International Airport, the hurricane center said.

Tornadoes ahead of Hurricane Milton killed 4 people, St. Lucie County says

Fort Pierce, Fla. — Tornadoes ahead of Hurricane Milton killed four people, St. Lucie County officials said.

Before Milton even made landfall, heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida Wednesday morning. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed.

Four people were killed in tornadoes there, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane came ashore, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Significant damage from Milton is reported in west-central Florida

Plant City, Fla. — There was significant damage in west-central Florida, including in the community of Plant City, an official said.

“One of the most profound things I’m seeing is the flooding. We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community for my entire life,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said in a video posted online Thursday morning. “It’s absolutely staggering, what we’re seeing out there. Last night, members of our police and fire department performed rescues of 35 individuals from flooded structures here.”

Plant City has about 40,000 people. McDaniel added, “The police and the fire departments have their hands full. we’re bringing out crews to clean up the tree debris and get our roadways clear.”

Rescue teams are out in full force in the South Daytona area

Daytona Beach, Fla. — Hurricane Milton brought flooding to Florida’s Atlantic Coast early Thursday.

In Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located, high water rescue teams were out in full force in the South Daytona area, sheriff’s officials said.

Tampa officers rescue 15 people from a home damaged by a falling tree

Tampa, Fla. — Tampa police officers rescued 15 people from a one-story home that was damaged when a tree fell as Hurricane Milton was passing through.

“The swift actions taken by these officers during a break in the storm bands provided this family with a sense of safety in a time of fear and uncertainty,” Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw said.

The residents were taken to a nearby shelter as bands from the hurricane were still passing through Tampa. No one was injured.

Many roads in Fort Myers area are under water or blocked by fallen trees

Fort Myers, Fla. — In Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, the local sheriff’s office noted that many roads were either under water or blocked by fallen trees, downed power lines or other debris.

Some areas in Lee County had 3 feet of water covering roads.

A draw bridge just east of Matlacha, where about 600 people live on a barrier island, is partially blocked by a house, sheriff’s officials said. The Matlacha area was also devastated by Hurricane Ian in 2022.

The Jacksonville Jaguars say their flight to London is delayed because of Hurricane Milton

London — The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to arrive to London later than expected Friday because of Hurricane Milton, the team confirmed ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

A team spokesperson said the team’s departure time has been “slightly” delayed.

Rescue teams move people to safety in the Tampa area and work to reopen roadways

Tampa, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has started rescue operations in at least one neighborhood.

“Our teams are on the ground, moving people to safety,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.

Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a post that crews have been responding to calls since early Thursday.

“Our cut teams are out cutting trees, trying to open up some of the roadways. There are downed powerlines and trees everywhere. Please stay indoors. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out,” he said.

Officials in hard-hit Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, also are urging residents to stay where they are.

Travel is dangerous after Milton moves through, sheriff's office warns

Sarasota, Fla. — In Sarasota County, “first-in” emergency crews were reporting downed power lines and trees in roadways, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post early Thursday.

Some bridges in the county were not passable after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota. The sheriff’s office urged residents and business owners to stay off the roads to allow emergency and utility crews time to work.

“The storm may have passed but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning,” the sheriff’s office said.

Milton moving off the east coast of Florida

The center of Hurricane Milton was moving off the east coast of Florida early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. Milton was expected to continue to move away from the peninsula and to the north of the Bahamas.

As the storm barreled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, all hurricane and tropical storm warnings were discontinued for the state’s west coast.

Storm surge warnings remained in effect for parts of the Florida west coast, and along the state’s east coast to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were also in effect for much of the state’s east-central coast.

At least 3 million customers without power due to Milton

Hurricane Milton’s tear of destruction across central Florida left more than 3 million homes and businesses without power around 4 a.m. EDT Thursday, according to PowerOutages.us.

Energy companies serve more than 11.5 million customer accounts across the state, according to the website.

Milton’s high winds and intense rains continued into Thursday morning. Florida's central Gulf Coast was hardest hit by the outages, including Hardee, Sarasota, Hillsborough and Manatee counties.

Hurricane Milton weakens to Category 1, but danger remains in Florida

Miami — The National Weather Service says the storm’s maximum sustained wind speed was 90 mph (145 kph) at about 1 a.m. Thursday as it passed east of Lakeland, Florida, on its way across the central peninsula.

The weather service uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to estimate potential property damage caused by a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. A Category 1 hurricane is considered to have very dangerous winds that topple shallow-rooted trees, snap tree limbs and damage the exterior of well-constructed frame homes. They can also cause extensive damage to power lines.

Hurricane Milton was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall Wednesday evening. That rating means devastating damage is expected to occur, including roofs torn from well-constructed homes, trees uprooted, and electricity and water systems unavailable for days to weeks.

High wind speeds are not the only dangers caused by hurricanes. Hurricane Milton spawned several devastating tornadoes that wreaked havoc on Florida communities Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rainfall and storm surges also caused dangerous flooding in some coastal areas.

Milton weakens slightly as flash flood emergency statement is issued in west-central Florida

Miami — The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph as it hovered near Fort Meade, about 45 miles east of Tampa, early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The hurricane was expected to continue traveling mostly eastward until it enters the Atlantic Ocean sometime late Thursday, the weather service said.

The damaging winds were accompanied by heavy rainfall, and the weather service issued a flash flood emergency statement for portions of west-central Florida. Flash flood emergency statements generally mean life-threatening catastrophic water rising events are already underway or expected to occur in the immediate future.

St. Petersburg officials warned residents that a broken water main forced the city to temporarily shut off its drinking water service at midnight. The city said residents should boil any water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth until the system is restored.

Multiple collapsed cranes reported in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, Fla. — The National Weather Service says it has received reports of multiple collapsed cranes due to high winds in St. Petersburg, about 50 miles south of Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue confirmed one collapse late Wednesday about six blocks from the city's pier. There were no reports of injuries.

The crane was at the site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building under construction that is being billed as one of the tallest buildings on the west coast of Florida. It was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.

More than 2 million Florida residents are without power

Over 2 million customers lost power as Hurricane Milton cut a path through central Florida late Wednesday, according to the website PowerOutages.us.

Energy companies serve more than 11.5 million customer accounts statewide, according to the website. The number of people left without electricity continued to grow as hurricane-spawned tornadoes, sustained tropical winds and flooding inundated the region.

Nearly 100% of customers in Hardee County were without power, and people in Sarasota, Manatee and Pinella counties were also hit hard by outages.

Taylor Swift donates $5 million to help hurricane relief efforts

Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot announced the singer's donation for people impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in an Instagram post Wednesday thanking her for “standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts,” Babineaux-Fontenot wrote. “This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms.”

Milton shreds Tropicana Field's roof

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to be badly damaged Wednesday night. Television images showed that the fabric that serves as the domed building’s roof had been ripped to shreds. It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside the stadium.

The Rays’ stadium was not being used as a shelter, but the Tampa Bay Times reported that it was being used as “a staging site for workers” who were brought to the area to deal with the storm’s aftermath.

The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It was due to be replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.

St. Lucie County sheriff says tornadoes killed residents

Before Milton even made landfall Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast, tornadoes were touching down across the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, destroying homes and leaving some residents dead.

“We have lost some life,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News. He did not say how many were killed.

Rain and wind expected to thrash Florida through Thursday

Miami — Hurricane Milton will continue to bring “devastating rains and damaging winds” across the central Florida peninsula throughout Thursday before exiting the state late in the day for the Atlantic Ocean, the National Weather Service said.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph at 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service, and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of Florida’s western and eastern coastlines.

The weather service said Boca Grande, Florida, could see a surge as high as 13 feet (4 meters) above ground if it hits at the same time as high tide.

The service also said tornadoes were possible through early Thursday morning over parts of central and eastern Florida.

Search and rescue efforts underway in Florida, officials say

Fort Pierce, Fla. — Officials say search and rescue efforts are underway in Florida after dangerous tornadoes ripped through the region.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video to Facebook showing a 10,000 square-foot iron building that had been twisted into a crumpled heap by a tornado. The structure was where the sheriff’s office kept its patrol cars, but luckily no one was inside when it fell, Pearson said.

Siesta Key where Milton landed is a prosperous area with picturesque beaches

Siesta Key, Fla. — Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota, is a prosperous strip of powdery, white sand beaches and picturesque sunsets, celebrated with a drum circle on Sundays.

Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” named Siesta Beach the United States’ best beach in 2017, and MTV’s “Siesta Key” gave audiences a reality-show view of the place in recent years.

Many of Siesta Key’s about 5,500 residents are of retirement age.

Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm

Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, bringing powerful winds, dangerous storm surge and potential flooding to much of the state. Milton drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, twice reaching Category 5 status.

The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it roared ashore near Siesta Key, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. High winds, heavy rain and flooding hit areas including densely populated Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Hurricane Milton spawns multiple tornadoes

Miami — Multiple tornadoes spawned by the hurricane tore across Florida, the twisters acting as a dangerous harbingers of Milton’s approach.

Three Florida offices of the National Weather Service in Miami, Tampa and Melbourne issued more than 130 tornado warnings associated with Hurricane Milton by Wednesday evening.

Videos posted to Reddit and other social media sites showed large funnel clouds over neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state.

Luke Culver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said he wasn’t sure whether Milton had spawned a record number of tornadoes, but he pointed out that only 64 Florida tornado warnings were associated with Hurricane Ian, which hit the Tampa Bay area as a massive storm in 2022.

Tornadoes produced by hurricanes and tropical storms most often occur in the right-front quadrant of the storm, but sometimes they can also take place near the storm’s eyewall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The heat and humidity present in the atmosphere during such storms and changes in wind direction or speed with height, known as wind shear, contribute to their likelihood.

Pasco County suspends emergency services due to hazardous conditions

Pasco County, Fla. — Pasco County on Florida's west coast north of Tampa has joined other counties in suspending all emergency services in response to Hurricane Milton’s impact, according to an alert sent at 7:46 p.m.

“We’re constantly monitoring weather conditions and emergency crews will respond as soon as it is safe to do so. Now is the time to remain sheltered where you are,” the alert said.

What has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual?

With its mighty strength and its dangerous path, Hurricane Milton powered into a very rare threat flirting with experts’ worst fears.

Warm water fueled amazingly rapid intensification that took Milton from a minimal hurricane to a massive Category 5 in less than 10 hours. It weakened, but quickly bounced back. And when its winds briefly reached 180 mph, its barometric pressure, a key measurement for a storm’s overall strength, was among the lowest ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico this late in the year.

At its most fierce, Milton almost maxed out its potential intensity given the weather factors surrounding it.

“Everything that you would want if you’re looking for a storm to go absolutely berserk is what Milton had,” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said.

Milton also grew so potent because it managed to avoid high-level cross winds that often decapitate storms, especially in autumn. As Milton neared Florida it hit those winds, called shear, which ate away at its strength, as meteorologists had forecasted.

Biden blasts Trump for spreading ‘onslaught of lies’ about the Helene response

Washington — President Joe Biden on Wednesday blasted his predecessor for spreading an “onslaught of lies” about how the federal government is handling the damage from Hurricane Helene as Hurricane Milton was near making landfall in Florida.

“Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said from the White House. “Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies.”

Biden said that Trump and his allies have misrepresented the response and resources of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The president singled out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, saying she claimed the federal government could control the weather.

Asked why he believed his Republican opponents were not talking accurately about the government’s response, Biden said, “I don’t know.”

Residents in St. Petersburg area advised to shelter in place

Pinellas County, Fla. — Citing wind gusts of more than 50 mph, Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, issued a shelter-in-place advisory just before 6:30 p.m. for anyone who did not evacuate as Hurricane Milton approached Florida’s west coast. The county is home to more than 960,000 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Just south, Manatee County announced at about the same time that it had suspended emergency services due to increasingly hazardous conditions. The county alert said “911 emergency calls will be logged and queued based on priority and will be responded to as soon as safe to do so.”

Georgia governor warns coastal residents to prepare for hazards from Milton

Savannah, Ga. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday urged residents of the state’s coastal counties to prepare for falling trees, scattered power outages and potential flooding near the ocean as Hurricane Milton crosses Florida.

All 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Georgia coast were under a tropical storm warning Wednesday and Thursday. Still, Milton’s impacts in the state were expected to be far less severe than those from Hurricane Helene, which killed 34 people in Georgia and inflicted widespread damage statewide two weeks ago.

“We don’t think this is going to be a hard hit,” Kemp told reporters after meeting with local emergency management officials in Savannah. “But we want to over-prepare and hope this storm, for us at least, under-delivers.”

Kemp said about 50,000 Georgia homes and businesses remain without electricity after Helene initially left more than 1.3 million in the dark. He said those still lacking power are in rural areas where customers are more spread out, causing repairs to take longer.

Copyright MSM/AP