At least 16 people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated portions of Florida, as the extent of damage caused becomes clear in the wake of the storm.
Report informs via The Independent that Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Six people in St Lucie County retirement village have been killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.
About 2.5m homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. More than 50,000 linemen have been deployed in an effort to restore power, Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday.
Ferocious winds caused a crane to collapse into the The Tampa Bay Times in St Petersburg, while the Tampa Bay Rays that it was “hurt” after the roof of its Tropicana Field stadium was left in disrepair.
All wind and storm surge warnings for Milton have been discontinued after the hurricane exited Florida’s east coast. The National Hurricane Center warned that “hazards remain” from damaged buildings, downed power lines and floodwaters.