Khushi Bhuta, Pune
More than 3 million in Florida are now left to languish in the dark as authorities begin an assessment of damage inflicted by Hurricane Milton, which at Category 3 tore through the central part of the state overnight on Wednesday.
Storm surges of up to 10 feet pummeled cities along the Gulf Coast, including Sarasota and Fort Myers, where buildings, including a sheriff’s department facility, were flattened in the swirl of tornadoes. Cars, trees, and even debris were hurled through the air as 120-mph winds tossed debris. Skies turned purple, an ominous sign of “tornado alleys.”.
Hurricane Milton roared ashore near Siesta Key, south of St. Petersburg, about 8:30 p.m. Eight hours later, the storm had moved offshore north of Cape Canaveral and had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said. In downtown St. Petersburg, a crane collapsed, damaging an office building, blocking a street, disrupting water supply and tearing the roof off a Major League Baseball stadium.
Days may pass before the complete extent of the destruction can be judged, but insurance companies have already warned that the losses could mount to as much as $60 billion. Tornadoes that were part of the storm can be nearly just as deadly, with at least 116 tornado warnings in place across the state, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said.
Four were killed in St. Lucie County. As of Thursday morning, tornadoes had touched down in various parts of the county, the state’s Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie reported. Guthrie said that about 125 homes, mostly in senior mobile home communities, had been destroyed.
For its part, the interior of the country has an estimate of 11 million in danger of flash and river floods, while some places reported their highest-ever level of rain. The police chief of Bradenton, north of Sarasota, estimated that over 60% of the city had no power. Widespread tree falls and power line downings have also been reported in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa.
However, despite earlier warnings, storm surges were less fierce in some places than expected. Places such as Siesta Key and the northern communities saw their biggest problem not to be the heavy rainfall, which reached up to 18 inches, but there were huge sea surges in southern areas of Fort Myers Beach and Naples.