Hurricane Milton exits Florida after knocking out power to 3 million customers
By Scripps News Staff,
4 hours ago
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.
Hurricane Milton came ashore late Wednesday as a large Category 3 storm, knocking out power to nearly 3 million Floridians by Thursday morning.
By Thursday morning, the storm had crossed the Florida peninsula, holding onto hurricane status as it marched across the state during the overnight hours. As of 8 a.m. ET Thursday, Milton had top sustained winds of 85 mph as its eye was off the coast of Cape Canaveral.
The highest recorded wind gusts occurred in and around the Tampa Bay area and gusts exceeded 100 mph. A 103 mph gust was measured in Mulberry, while a 101 mph gust was recorded in St. Petersburg. Tampa also measured a gust of 97 mph several hours after landfall.
Officials said 18 inches of rain fell in St. Petersburg.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor encouraged residents to stay put until officials have a chance to assess the damage. She added 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.
How much damage did Milton leave behind?
The Tropicana Dome, home of the MLB's Rays, was being prepped as a staging area for first responders and had part of its roof ripped off by the hurricane-force winds.
A Tampa Bay Rays spokesperson told ABC News, "No first responders were being staged at Tropicana Field and the essential personnel that were there are all accounted for and safe. Teams will be assessing the situation more when it is safe to do so."
Additionally, a crane collapsed during high winds in Downtown St. Petersburg on Wednesday night.
Neighborhood in City of St Petersburg waiting for daylight to see extent of damage
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said they were starting rescue missions shortly after sunrise on Thursday. County officials said access points in the county would remain closed due to hazardous conditions.
Milton spawns tornado outbreak
While it's not uncommon for tornadoes to form during landfalling hurricanes, Hurricane Milton spun up an unusually high number of tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, over 150 tornado warnings were issued in Florida on Wednesday. While not all of the warnings resulted in tornadoes, the National Weather Service noted that several twisters were considered large and dangerous.
National Weather Service officials will survey the damage left by the tornadoes on Thursday.
The St. Lucie County sheriff confirmed multiple fatalities were from a tornado that touched down there.
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 initial emergency needs in the days and weeks following a hurricane. More extensive relief for survivors is generally given on an application basis after a review process.
It is also unclear when airports and major attractions in the region will be reopened.
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