TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Hurricane Milton The barrel hit the Atlantic Ocean Thursday after plowing across Florida, where it knocked out power to more than 3 million customers. A barrage of hurricanes. The storm caused at least five deaths and added to the misery Helen caused while not hitting Tampa directly.
The system tracked south in the final hours and made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa, late Wednesday. The damage was widespread, and water levels could continue to rise for several days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not a “worst case scenario.”
The deadly storm surge feared for Tampa never materialized, although the storm dumped up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) of rain in some areas, the governor said. The worst storm surge appeared in Sarasota County, where it measured 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) — less than the worst place during Helen.
“We will have a better understanding of the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said. “We still have a lot to do, but we’ll get through this.”
As of Thursday morning, storm surge warnings were still issued along the east-central Florida coast and as far north as Georgia. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the South Carolina coast. Officials in the hardest-hit Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee warned of downed power lines, trees on roads, blocked bridges and flooding and urged people to stay home.
“We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, home of Tampa, said on Facebook.
Inland from Tampa, the flooding in the mill town was “absolutely staggering,” according to City Manager Bill McDaniel. Emergency crews rescued 35 people overnight, McDaniel said, as 13.5 inches (34 cm) of rain fell on the city.
“We’re flooded in places and levels that I’ve never seen and lived in this community all my life,” he said in a video posted online Thursday morning.
Matlacha, a small barrier island just off Fort Myers, was hit by a hurricane and a surge, causing severe damage to many of the colorful buildings in the fishing and tourist village. Tom Reynolds, 90, spent the morning shoveling four feet of mud and water, picking up pieces of aluminum siding torn off by a twister and throwing a car across the road.
Elsewhere on the island, a house was thrown into a street that was temporarily blocked off. Some buildings caught fire. Reynolds said he plans to renovate the house he built three decades ago.
“What else am I going to do?” He said.
By contrast, city workers on Anna Maria Island were thankful Thursday morning that they were spared flooding as they hauled away debris two weeks after buildings were demolished and piles of sand piled up to 6 feet (1.8 m) high. Those piles may have helped protect homes from further damage, said Jeremy Roberts of the state Emergency Response Team.
“I’m shocked it’s not there yet,” city employee Kati Sands said as she removed siding and broken lights from the streets. “We lost so much with Helen, and not much more.”
The storm knocked out power across a large swath of Florida, leaving more than 3.4 million homes and businesses without power. electrical resistance. usIt tracks usage reports.
The fabric that serves as the roof of Tropicana Field – House Tampa Bay Rays Baseball team in St. Petersburg – torn apart by high winds. The field was littered with debris, but there were no injuries. Before the storm hit, first responders were transferred from a platform there.
St. Petersburg residents can’t get water from their home pipes because a water main break has led the city to cut off service. Mayor Ken Welch told residents to expect long power outages and sewer system shutdowns.
State officials said they had completed more than 40 rescue operations overnight and that crews would go door-to-door in some areas on Thursday. In Tampa, police said they rescued 15 people from a single-story home damaged by a falling tree.
“We are laser-focused on search and rescue operations today,” said Col. Mark Thiem, executive director of the Florida State Guard.
Jesse Schaper, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, said it was too early to know exactly how many tornadoes touched down or how strong they were.
Among hurricanes, a twister touched down in the lightly populated Everglades and Crossing Interstate 75. Another apparent tornado hit Fort Myers, snapping tree limbs and shredding the canopy of a gas station.
Hurricane Milton on Thursday, October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP via Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times) In passing, the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to be badly damaged.
The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce on Florida’s Atlantic coast was particularly hard hit, with homes destroyed and at least five people killed by the tornado, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said.
Before the hurricane hit, about 125 homes were destroyed, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
About 90 minutes after landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (135 kph) and was leaving the state near Cape Canaveral.
A storm hit the area Still wobbly two weeks later Hurricane Helen Flooding flooded streets and homes in West Florida and killed at least 230 people across the South. In many places along the coast, municipalities rushed to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge could blow it up and cause any damage.
Officials have issued dire warnings to flee or face dire odds of survival.
Jackie Karnick said she wrestled with her decision to stay at home in Sarasota, north of where the storm made landfall. She and her husband began packing to leave on Monday, but they had trouble finding hotel rooms, and the few they did find were very expensive.
If the Karniks left in their car on Oct. 29 with a 2-year-old son and a daughter, many questions remain unanswered: Where will they sleep? Can they fill their gas tank? And can they find safe passage out of state?
“The thing is, it’s very difficult to get off a peninsula,” he said ahead of the storm. “In most other states, you can go in any direction to exit. In Florida, there are only so many roads that take you north or south.
Video taken during the storm showed howling winds and sheets of rain battering their glass-enclosed swimming pool as their son and dog looked on. The trees shook violently.
On Thursday morning, he said the family was without power but safe.
About 80,000 people spent the night in shelters, and thousands left after authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders in 15 Florida counties totaling 7.2 million people.
In Orlando, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld were closed Thursday. DeSantis said the Tampa airport, which sustained minimal damage, will reopen later Friday.
Crossing the bridge from the mainland to Anna Maria Island early Thursday morning, Police Chief John Cosby breathed a sigh of relief. Almost all residents were evacuated, there were no injuries or deaths and the planned storm surge never happened. After fearing his police department would be under water, it was left dry.
“It’s nice to have a place to come back to,” he said.
___
This version removes the incorrect reference to 150 hurricanes. Scientists say it’s too early to know how many tornadoes have formed.
___
Associated Press reporters Holly Ramer in New Hampshire; Joseph Frederick in West Bradenton, Florida; Curt Anderson in Tampa; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee; Michael Goldberg in Minneapolis; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Christopher L. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Keller contributed to this report.
