Hurricane Milton roars across Florida, leaving behind destruction in the storm-ravaged state

Hurricane Milton crashed into Florida on Wednesday night, leaving behind death and destruction as it churned across a state still reeling from Hurricane Helene’s landfall just a couple weeks ago.

Millions rode out the storm in shelters as it roared through Florida overnight. Although damage is widespread and devastating, the storm’s impact was fortunately not as bad as officials were predicting.

So far, emergency workers say four people were killed due to destructive tornadoes spawned before the hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm. Rescue operations are ongoing, and millions remain without power and, in some cases, without running water.

Tampa was spared a direct hit, however, because the storm tracked south before making landfall. It did so about 70 miles south, close to Siesta Key , which is near Sarasota.

“One of the blessings for us is that we didn’t see that predicted storm surge,” City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a press briefing held early Thursday morning. “That saved a lot. That was what we were really worried about, was the storm surge.

“Fortunately, we didn’t see the peak of it. But it’s not over.”

While missing a direct hit, Tampa is still in the midst of a major emergency. The hurricane spawned tornadoes and flooding prior to making landfall. It also badly damaged the home ballpark of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg (below).

“Our city has endured a lot,” Tampa Chief of Police Lee Bercaw said. “Our city is a very resilient city. After preparing for Hurricane Helene and recovering from that, we were preparing for Hurricane Milton.”

Hurricane Milton reached Category 5 status twice as it made its way over the warm Gulf of Mexico waters to Florida. Even though it didn’t make landfall as a Category 5 storm, the powerful hurricane reached windspeeds of more than 120 miles per hour when it hit Florida.

Close to three million people were without power at the height of the storm, and a water main break cut off running water in St. Petersburg.

Hurricane Milton has now been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but it’s still causing damage as it makes its way out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Thousands of federal workers are already in Florida, along with close to 9,000 National Guard members from across the county, to help with rescues and clean-up. Additionally, 50,000 utility workers are helping to restore power as soon as they can.

WGN-TV’s parent company, Nexstar Media Group, is helping those impacted by the recent storms. Nexstar is raising funds with the American Red Cross and stations across the country. Scan the QR code below for more information on how you can help.

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