Hurricane Milton makes landfall, producing tornadoes and destruction

Tornado damage here in Fort Myers ahead of Hurricane #Milton making landfall. Roofs completely blown off homes. People now seeking alternate shelter. Orangewood Avenue. Downed trees, power lines, fences. Power is out. Thankfully, no reported injuries.@accuweather pic.twitter.com/bqYsZB2iek

— Ali Reid (@alireidtv) October 9, 2024

The storm toppled several large cranes and knocked out power across much of Florida. As of early Thursday, more than 2.8 million homes and businesses were without power. In St. Petersburg, a burst water pipe caused the city to cut off water access. A Tampa Bay Times reporter shared video of the street outside the newspaper's office that revealed extensive destruction.

Hurricane Milton, which continues to cause heavy rainfall, is expected to continue moving across Florida today and also hit the Orlando area. According to CNN, the threat of flooding remains for much of the state and strong winds have begun to affect the eastern side of the state.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, issued a flash flood warning in the early hours of Thursday, noting that “life-threatening flash flooding of creeks and creeks, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses” was likely.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, “We lost some lives,” but did not provide a death toll. The total number of victims of Hurricane Milton has yet to be confirmed. About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall, according to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Many of these were mobile homes in senior living complexes.

Earlier this week, local authorities in 15 Florida counties issued mandatory evacuation orders, affecting around 7.2 million people. “I can say without any dramatization: If you choose to stay in one of these evacuation areas, you will die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on CNN. “If we have the storm surge that’s predicted, it’s not survivable.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a warning Tuesday morning that “time is running out” for an evacuation. “But you have time today to follow all evacuation orders and do what you need to do to protect yourself and our families,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded to the destruction in Florida on Wednesday evening, confirming that she had spoken with St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. “I let him know: Our government stands with the people of St. Petersburg as they prepare for Hurricane Milton and we will stand with them until they recover,” she posted on X.

She added: “President Biden and I have been briefed on our coordinated preparations for Hurricane Milton. Federal personnel are on the ground in Florida and we are in constant contact with local leaders to ensure communities receive the resources and support they need.”

Milton's landfall comes nearly two weeks after much of the southeastern United States was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Towns like Ashville, North Carolina, were heavily damaged and residents lost power and telephones. More than 200 people are confirmed dead.

Following the destruction, several artists, including Ben Folds, Luke Combs, Eric Church and Sturgill Simpson, confirmed they would be playing benefit shows to raise money for relief efforts. Yesterday, Taylor Swift donated $5 million to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton relief efforts.