Hurricane Milton aftermath: at least 15 dead, millions without power amid widespread flooding in Florida

Nearly two weeks after Helene made landfall in the northwestern portion of Florida, people across the state are once again picking up the pieces after major hurricane Milton

Fred Hill gets a few drinks from his destroyed home after it was hit by a tornado and flooding caused by Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Nearly two weeks after Helene made landfall in the northwestern portion of Florida, people across the state are once again picking up the pieces after major hurricane. This time, Hurricane Milton put a bull's-eye on the central portion of Florida, making landfall near Tampa and then heading past Orlando and the state's east coast before finally moving out over the Atlantic. The storm retained hurricane strength through the entire crossing of Florida.

Earlier in the week, the storm intensified from a tropical storm to a major Category 5 hurricane over the ultra-warm Gulf of Mexico waters in 24 hours, taking an unusual track east and then east northeast toward Florida. Milton officially made landfall near Siesta Key around 8:30 p.m. EST as a Category 3 hurricane. AccuWeather meteorologists emphasized the danger of the somewhat weakened storm, which still packed 120-mph winds upon landfall, along with a devastating storm surge.

In advance of landfall Wednesday, Milton's outer bands whipped up significant tornado outbreaks during the morning and afternoon, which accounted for many deaths from Milton so far.

“I’ve lived in Florida since 1989. Never, never have I experienced damage or the amount of tornadoes that came through this area,” Susan Carlos, a resident of Sunnier Palms Park and Campground told CNN’s Paul Murphy and John General. “And it was the most frightening thing I’ve ever lived through.”

Meanwhile, drone footage in one small coastal town, Grove City, Florida, located about 30 miles south of where Milton arrived, showed that the coastal community has been left almost unrecognizable. The community was severely impacted by the storm’s intense winds and overwhelming storm surge, which inundated homes. In one dramatic scene, a boat collided with two homes and was left stranded onshore after the storm surge receded. Watch the incredible drone footage below:

And in St. Petersburg, intense winds toppled a crane that was perched atop a building, slamming into the structure as it collapsed before landing on the road below. “We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

A crane that collapsed into a building is seen in downtown St. Petersburg due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in Florida. (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

A rising death toll

In the wake of Hurricane Milton, the death toll has risen to at least 15 people, according to CNN. The fatalities span multiple counties.

St. Lucie County, on Florida’s Atlantic coast, has confirmed six deaths, attributed to tornadoes that touched down during the storm, WPBF News reported. The violent twisters left a trail of destruction, resulting in the highest number of fatalities in a single county.

In St. Petersburg, police confirmed two storm-related deaths. City officials noted that one of the deaths was medical-related, while the other victim was found in a park. The cause of death for the second individual remains unknown, pending further investigation.

Volusia County, home to Daytona Beach, has also reported fatalities, with Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood confirming that four people died in his jurisdiction. The details surrounding these deaths have not been fully disclosed.

A Tampa woman in her late 70s was found under a large tree branch shortly Thursday morning and was pronounced dead, the city said in a news release. It appears the woman was working on “post-hurricane restoration efforts” when the branch fell. “Although the storm has passed, its devastation has tragically taken the life of one of our community members,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve their loved one.”

Devastating storm surge

As Hurricane Milton roared ashore, it unleashed waves of storm surge that flowed into cities, turning roads into rivers and filling homes and businesses with water.

The storm surge at Naples, Florida, reached 5.78 feet above normal tide, nearly a foot higher than Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26 and almost 3 feet above Hurricane Debby on Aug. 4.

In Fort Myers, the gauge rose to 5.26 feet, slightly above the crest reached during Hurricane Helene at 5.12, but short of the 50-year record set by Hurricane Ian of 7.26 feet on Sept. 28, 2022.

Hundreds of water rescues

As crews plucked hundreds of people from floodwaters across the state, some harrowing rescues have been reported. One of the most incredible was when Hillsborough County officers found a 14-year-old boy floating on a piece of fence and were able to pull him onto a boat, the AP reports.

A single mother and her four children in Lakeland were also rescued from their Lakeland home after being trapped in a flooded house for seven hours. Sharing videos with CNN showing how she and her children climbed on top of the oven and sink as floodwaters were rising in the home, Amber Henry said, “I’m a single mom. I have nothing but me and my children. We were dark … I was afraid of snakes, I was afraid of being electrocuted and I was afraid that actually being the one that pass away and then my kids have to suffer,” she said.

In still another dramatic rescue Thursday, a Coast Guard helicopter crew saved a man who was left holding on to an ice chest in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico overnight after his fishing boat broke down just off Madeira Beach hours before Milton came ashore Wednesday. The Coast Guard estimated the man survived winds of 75 to 90 mph and waves up to 25 feet high.

“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady said, according to Associated Press.

45 tornadoes reported, including one EF3

National Weather Service offices in Florida issued a whopping 126 tornado warnings as Hurricane Milton approached yesterday. There were 45 tornadoes reported to the Storm Prediction Center, including the one tornado that killed several people in St. Lucie on the east coast of Florida.

The NWS has preliminarily rated another tornado near Palm Beach Gardens on the eastern shore of the state as EF3.

The record for tornadoes spawned by a hurricane is 120, with Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Hurricane Beryl spawned 68 twisters in late June and early July of this year. Still, the particularly strong and long-lasting tornadoes spawned from Milton are notable.

105-mph wind gust

The strongest wind gust reported during the storm was 105 mph at a WeatherFlow weather station in the Egmont Channel, southwest of St. Petersburg. The Bradenton and St. Petersburg airports also gusted to 102 and 101 mph, respectively.

Strong winds from Hurricane Milton also ripped off the roof of Tropicana Field, the home stadium of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. Video footage captured the dramatic moments when pieces of the translucent roof began flapping in the wind. The devastation was widely shared on social media, with posts showing the gaping holes left behind.

5th hurricane landfall

Hurricane Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall on the Gulf Coast this season, after Beryl, Debby, Francine and Helene. The 2020 and 2005 hurricane seasons also had five.

Milton is the third hurricane to hit the state of Florida this year. No other year on record has more than three. After a midseason interlude, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is now above normal.

18.90 inches of rain

18.90 inches of rain fell during Hurricane Milton at the St. Petersburg Albert Whitted Airport. In just one hour, the rain gauge recorded 5.09 inches, an extremely high rainfall rate. As Milton moved across Florida, an AccuWeather/Ambient Weather rain gauge recorded 16.67 inches at Lakeland, 32 miles northeast of Tampa.

Nearly 2.5 million customers

Around 2.5 million electric customers in the state of Florida are still without power as of Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. In Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, more than 510,000 customers, around 72% of all customers, are still without power since the storm made landfall. On the eastern side of the state, in counties like Flager and Volusia, more than half of customers are still in the dark.

$160-180 billion

AccuWeather preliminarily estimates the total damage and economic loss from historic Hurricane Milton will be between $160 billion and $180 billion.

Milton will go down as one of the most damaging and impactful storms in Florida history, along with Hurricane Helene’s estimated total damage and economic loss of $225-250 billion just two weeks ago. Hurricane Helene resulted in significant destruction from the Gulf Coast of Florida to the southern Appalachians, where a catastrophic flooding disaster occurred.

Millions in aid pouring in

Known for stepping up during disaster relief, Taylor Swift donated $5 million in relief efforts for communities hit by Helene, and to help with recovery in Hurricane Milton. Walmart, Sam's Club and the Walmart Foundation also gave $16 million toward hurricane relief. For a list of places to consider donating, click here.