Hurricane Milton has left millions of Floridians without power as of early Thursday morning after the Category 3 hurricane slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast.
According to The Associated Press, as of 4 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, over 3 million homes and businesses are left in the terrifying spot of having no power as the storm made its way across the Floridian peninsula.
The storm, the wire service said, brought “misery to a coast still ravaged by Helene, pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) after producing a barrage of tornadoes.”
However, it noted that the city of Tampa was spared “a direct hit.”
“The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa,” the AP’s report stated.
“The situation in the Tampa area was still a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida.”
The National Hurricane Center noted that landfall at Siesta Key took place at roughly 8:30 p.m. EDT. Maximum winds at landfall were reported at roughly 120 mph.
830pm EDT Oct 9th: Doppler radar data indicates that the eye of #Hurricane #Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on the west coast of Florida.
Max sustained winds at landfall are estimated at 120 mph.
Landfall TCU: https://t.co/YUc7mT6LuJ pic.twitter.com/fEODy4AvHJ
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 10, 2024
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One of the most dramatic signs of the power that Hurricane Milton brought with it was the damage done to the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Tropicana Field roof has come off during Hurricane Milton
The ballpark was being used as shelter for first responders pic.twitter.com/tBcrESzYdu
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 10, 2024
Roof is gone at Tropicana Field #milton #rays
Video by: Nick Friedman@mysuncoast @WESH pic.twitter.com/VME6Um351J
— Nick Burch (@PageWebber) October 10, 2024
“Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg, appeared badly damaged. The fabric that serves as the domed stadium’s roof was ripped to shreds by the fierce winds,” the AP’s report said.
“It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside. Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm, the weather service said.”
🚨🚨BREAKING St Petersburg FL
A crane at 400 Central just fell into the office building at 490 1st Ave S.
The weights ploughed to the ground – unconfirmed injuries #StPetersburg #florica #Venice #Milton #HurricaneMilton pic.twitter.com/v9xvMix4kQ
— Conlustro Research (@ConlustroR) October 10, 2024
#BREAKING A construction crane has collapsed onto a building in St. Petersburg as Hurricane Milton batters the city with 100-mph wind gusts. Details: https://t.co/wTI0Ysx9TQ pic.twitter.com/7FzRdw8cc0
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 10, 2024
Meanwhile, Tampa saw an outward flow of water as the hurricane’s winds sucked the sea from its shores:
The water has been sucked out of Tampa Bay by Milton.
Happened fast. pic.twitter.com/8ghtF5SZYx— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 10, 2024
“The phenomenon, reminiscent of what occurred during Hurricanes Ian in 2022 and Irma in 2017, will probably last only a few hours — and could suddenly reverse, with damaging results,” Elena Shao of The New York Times noted.
She also warned that officials say it’s dangerous to wade out in the receding tides due to the possibility of sudden reversal, which can happen in just a matter of minutes.
It was unclear what the death toll from the storm would be, although at least one law enforcement official in a county hit hard by Milton confirmed there had already been fatalities.
“We have lost some life,” said St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson in an interview with WPBF-TV. The fatalities took place inside the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, although he did not say how many deaths had taken place.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said that roughly 125 homes had been destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, a large number of them mobile homes in senior citizen communities.
The storm’s power quickly diminished after coming ashore; 90 minutes after landfall, it was classed as a Category 2 storm, and by early Thursday morning, it was a Category 1 storm. Such hurricanes are still destructive, as they pack maximum sustained winds of roughly 90 mph.
According to the Miami Herald, the hardest-hit county, power-wise, was Hardee County, an inland area east of Sarasota. Over 97 percent of customers there were reportedly without electricity. However, that area is sparsely populated, with under 10,000 customers.
In Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, over 77 percent were without power in the early hours of Thursday morning — over 507,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Over 81 percent in Sarasota County were without power, as well — over 245,000 people.
5 am EDT – Hurricane #Milton moving off the coast of east-central Florida. Still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rains. Here are the Key Messages. Go to https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ for details. pic.twitter.com/w14GGYpPDL
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 10, 2024
Those numbers will likely increase as the storm moves off the coast of east-central Florida, as the National Hurricane Center reported it was as of early Thursday morning.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this catastrophe.
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