Hurricane Milton death toll rises as long road to recovery begins
By Scripps News Staff,
12 hours ago
A St. Lucie County Sheriff's parking facility is shown after a tornado spawned ahead of Hurricane Milton destroyed it, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Fla. A high rise construction crane broke apart and crashed into the building across the street during Hurricane Milton on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson) Hangars at Albert Whitted Airport were damaged by winds from Hurricane Milton on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Houses lie in ruins after sustaining tornado and flood damage from Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Matlacha, Fla. Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with coworkers, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Watts, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm.
The death toll from Hurricane Milton reached nine on Thursday.
Five people were killed as a result of tornadoes that hit St. Lucie County, Florida. Four others were killed in Volusia County.
"Two of the deaths were from fallen trees," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said on Thursday. "One of the deaths was from boarding up their property and they had a heart attack while doing so and another was a cardiac arrest that first responders could not get there in time during the height of the storm."
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key Wednesday night before marching across the state during the overnight hours. It exited early Friday morning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there was significant damage, but not quite the worst-case scenario some had feared. Still, about 3 million Florida customers remained without power Thursday evening.
A trail of destruction
Despite plenty of damage from wind and rain, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted Thursday that the city did not have nearly the amount of storm surge as it had anticipated. Forecasters were concerned before the storm Tampa would get up to 10-15 feet of storm surge.
South of Tampa, in St. Petersburg, damage appeared more severe. The roof of the Tropicana Dome, home of the MLB's Rays, was ripped off by hurricane-force winds. The stadium was in the process of being prepped as a staging area for first responders when the damage occurred.
The Tampa Bay Rays said they were "grateful" to learn no one was injured by the damage to the ballpark. The franchise said it will assess the condition of the field over the coming days.
Other parts of the city were dealing with downed trees that fell on homes and cars. A crane also collapsed during high winds in the downtown area and hangars were damaged at Albert Whitted Airport.
Neighborhood in St. Petersburg damaged during Hurricane Milton.
What happens next?
It is expected that those in affected regions will be able to receive Serious Needs Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover immediate expenses.
The initial payments of up to $750 offered by FEMA are meant to serve to cover emergency needs in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. More extensive relief for survivors is generally given on an application basis after a review process.
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