Following on the heels of Hurricane Helene which devastated parts of 5 States, Hurricane Milton hit the west coast of Florida overnight, leaving millions without power. The hurricane was proceeded by multiple tornadoes that ripped through the State. Both the hurricane and tornadoes resulted in loss of life, though it's not known what the toll is so far. From the AP:
... The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 3.2 million homes and businesses without electricity, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
The fabric that serves as the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg, was ripped to shreds by the fierce winds. It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside. Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm, the weather service said.
St. Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service.
Before Milton even made landfall, tornadoes touched down across the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed.
“We have lost some life,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, though he wouldn’t say how many people were killed.
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.
About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (135 kph) and leaving the state near Cape Canaveral.
But the danger had not passed: Storm surge remained a concern in many parts of Florida and tropical storm warnings were in place for much of the east-central coast. Officials in hard-hit Pinellas and Sarasota counties urged people to stay off the roads, warning of downed power lines, trees in roadways and blocked bridges...
Here are some pictures, also via AP:
The roof of Tropicana Field, Tampa / Chris Urso, Tampa Bay Times
Tornado near Miramar, Florida
President Biden briefed on Hurricane Milton (notice no sharpies) / White House
If you wish to donate or volunteer for hurricane relief efforts, you couldn't do better than the American Red Cross.
