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Florida Hurricane Milton News: Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast about 112 kilometers south of the Tampa Bay area of 3.3 million people as a Category 3 storm with strong winds and rain Thursday morning, killing three people and destroying 3.2 million homes. The power went out. Governor Ron Santis warned of more destruction if water levels rise in the coming days. Up to 18 inches of rain fell in some areas, and waves as high as eight to ten feet were seen in Sarasota County.
People were urged to stay indoors as the storm brought moderately strong winds to Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties rather than Tampa. People were warned not to take any risks as trees fell on roads, bridges were closed and power lines were submerged.
As flood waters receded in Plant City, just outside Tampa, 35 people were rescued by emergency workers. City Manager McDaniel said that the city received 14 inches of rain. Governor Ron Santis said 9,000 National Guardsmen were deployed from Florida and other states. Apart from this, 50000 personnel and highway patrol cars have also been deployed from distant states like California.
More than 60 percent of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg ran out of fuel Wednesday night. Tourist attractions in Orlando such as Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld remained closed. Due to strong winds, cranes overturned at many places and drinking water was also cut off in St. Petersburg. Now the sewage system will also have to be closed.
Heavy rain was already falling across many areas of Florida in advance of the storm, and the Hurricane Center predicted severe weather throughout the day along Florida's Gulf Coast. The storm already brought heavy rain and tornadoes to the Milton area of South Florida on Thursday. A tipster passed through the Everglades and Interstate 75. Another tornado blew the roof off a gas station in the Fort Myers area. The St. Lucie County Sheriff said the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce suffered extensive damage and several residents were killed in the tornado.
People are still recovering from the destruction that Hurricane Helene wreaked in Florida a fortnight ago, but the situation has worsened for people in Milton. Hurricane Helen killed 230 people. Officials in 11 Florida counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders. Six million people live in these counties. State and local agencies are still working to remove debris from the devastation caused by Helena. Hurricane Milton became a category two hurricane after making landfall. As its strength reduced on Thursday morning, the wind speed also reduced to 135 km per hour.
