After cutting a destructive path across Florida that resulted in more than a dozen tornadoes, the destruction of homes, and the deaths of at least four people, Hurricane Milton plowed into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. However, the storm did not cause the catastrophic storm surge that was anticipated.
At a morning briefing, Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the state had avoided the worst-case scenario, despite the fact that the damage was still significant. The most dire warnings had been issued, but the Tampa Bay region appeared to have escaped the deadly surge of seawater.
According to county spokesperson Erick Gill, four people died in St. Lucie, which is on the east coast of Florida. At least two of the victims were in the Spanish Lakes Communities, a group of older neighborhoods, when multiple twisters struck on Wednesday afternoon.
He stated that it was unclear whether Spanish Lakes was the location of the other two fatalities.
DeSantis stated that as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, around the time Milton made landfall, there were 19 confirmed tornadoes in Florida.
According to PowerOutage.us, more than 3 million Florida homes and businesses were without power on Thursday morning. After Hurricane Helene struck the region nearly two weeks ago, at least some of them had been waiting for days for their power to be restored.
The hurricane tore a large hole in the fabric roof of Tropicana Field, the St. Petersburg baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, but no injuries were reported. Thousands of cots were set up on the field at the ballpark as a place for responders to wait out the storm.
“The fact that we did not observe that anticipated storm surge is one of our blessings. That saved a lot,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor stated at a press conference early in the morning.
Local news footage showed that the storm brought down power lines, threw debris across roadways, and uprooted trees in the Tampa area. Castor stated that although some neighborhoods were flooded, the extent of the damage will not be known until crews can evaluate the destruction.
Overnight, dozens of calls for help were answered by emergency personnel, including one in which a tree fell on a house with 15 people inside, including children, according to Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. A shelter was provided for all fifteen people.
In St. Petersburg, the winds tossed a large construction crane, sending it crashing onto a deserted street.
Even after up to 18 inches (457 millimeters) of rain fell, the state was still at risk of river flooding. Castor said on Thursday morning that authorities were waiting for rivers to crest, but as of yet, water levels were at or below their levels from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
