Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, unleashing powerful winds, deadly storm surge, and the threat of widespread flooding across much of the state.
More than 2 million customers lost power as Hurricane Milton carved a path through central Florida late Wednesday, according to PowerOutages.us. Deaths have been reported by police at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce. Shocking images show how the roof of the iconic Tropicana Stadium has been ripped off from the power of the winds.
The roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to be badly damaged as Hurricane Milton passes Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The roof of the iconic stadium looks to have been ripped from the building in the high winds.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Milton, which twice reached Category 5 status while drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it hit Siesta Key, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm brought a dangerous storm surge to densely populated areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
Youths duck behind the Malecon seawall as they play in the surf brought by Hurricane Milton passing through the Gulf of Mexico, in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Over 2 million people has been left without power in Florida.
Ramon Espinosa/AP
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
03:54 AM EDT
Search and Rescue Efforts Underway in Florida
Search and rescue operations are underway in Florida after a series of dangerous tornadoes swept through the area, officials said.
Approximately 125 homes were destroyed before Hurricane Milton made landfall, with many of the damaged properties being mobile homes in senior citizen communities, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson shared a video on Facebook showing a 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) iron building twisted into a crumpled heap by a tornado. The structure, which housed the sheriff’s patrol cars, was empty at the time of the collapse, Pearson said.
An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven convenient store, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla.
Marta Lavandier/AP
03:45 AM EDT
Taylor Swift Donates $5 Million to Hurricane Relief Efforts
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to support relief efforts for communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Babineaux-Fontenot thanked Swift 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.”
03:30 AM EDT
Multiple Cranes Collapse in St. Petersburg as Hurricane Milton Hits Florida
The National Weather Service reported receiving multiple reports of crane collapses in St. Petersburg due to high winds from Hurricane Milton. The city is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Siesta Key, where the storm made landfall.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue confirmed one crane collapse late Wednesday, approximately six blocks from the city’s pier. There were no reports of injuries.
The crane was at the construction site of a 515-foot-tall (157-meter) luxury high-rise building, planned to be one of the tallest structures on Florida’s west coast, with completion scheduled for summer 2025.
03:28 AM EDT
Hurricane Milton Spawns Deadly Tornadoes in Florida
Hurricane Milton triggered at least 19 tornadoes across Florida according to Reuters, with police reporting two two elderly residents killed in Fort Pierce as the storm unleashed powerful surges and freak winds.
Rescue teams are searching for survivors trapped in a retirement community in Fort Pierce, where hundreds of homes were reported to be “completely totaled,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told CNN’s Laura Coates.
“We are not going to get into how many, but I can tell you it’s more than one person who has lost their life that we already recovered,” Pearson told CNN.
Emergency services in Orlando, including police and firefighters, have suspended their operations due to the extreme conditions, with forecasters warning of storm surges up to 13 feet. Flash flood warnings remain in effect across Tampa.
