A property after Milton’s passage near Stuart, Florida, on October 10, 2024. Photo: US Air National Guard /Tech Sgt. Chelsea Smith
Hurricane Milton killed at least 12 people to date as it tore across the Florida Peninsula, gouging a path of destruction yet averting the worst-case scenario.
The hurricane flooded suburbs, destroyed homes, ripped the roof off a sports stadium and toppled a massive crane into an office building.
Two deaths were confirmed in St. Petersburg and Volusia County, and one each in Polk and Citrus counties, as well as six in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast following tornadoes there.
Power outages inched higher during the day as the storm left the eastern coast of the state with more than 3.4 million customers left in the dark, according to poweroutage.us. (NB: all dates given in US time).
US President Joe Biden said he pre-deployed thousands of federal personnel to areas affected by the storm, including more than 1000 US Coast Guard members.
Although the hurricane left the state, Florida officials urged residents to stay inside in areas prone to major flooding.
Flooding continues in Hillsborough County, on Florida’s west coast; St. Johns, near Jacksonville and the Little Wekiva River in the Orlando region, said Kevin Guthrie, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director.
Milton news in brief
- The US Coast Guard rescued a man clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico off South Florida. A helicopter crew from Miami rescued the man, who was about 30 miles away from shore in Longboat Key, near Sarasota. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital.
- NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Centre is assessing the damage to bridges, authorities said in a statement. The agency’s Europa Clipper launch team will schedule a launch date when it is safe to launch, officials said.
- Tampa General Hospital remained open as emergency response teams were activated in the aftermath of the disaster, the hospital said. The hospital is also accepting patient transfers as needed.
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis say at least 340 people and 49 pets were rescued to date with hundreds of rescuers involved in missions in 26 counties.
- Disney World and Universal Studios will both re-open tomorrow, the Orlando theme parks announced. Disney World said its theme parks, and the Disney Springs shopping centre, will resume operations. Universal Orlando said they will return to normal operations Friday across all theme parks.
- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that more than 10,000 federal staff were on the ground supporting the response to hurricanes Helene and Milton across the southeast. He said that the federal government and FEMA has the capacity to help the communities impacted by both storms.
- Tampa International Airport announced it will reopen tomorrow. The airport, which remains closed today because of Hurricane Milton, will open its doors to travellers tomorrow., the airport posted on Twitter.
