UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OCT 10 – Hurricane Milton has wreaked havoc off the coast of the US state of Florida, spawning a series of deadly tornadoes, killing at least four people and leaving millions without power today.
Milton made landfall last night on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a major Category 3 storm.
Hurricane-force winds continued to sweep inland through communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, before moving up Florida’s east coast and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
“The wind was the scariest thing because the building was swaying and the windows were shaking, even though the windows were storm proof,” Sarasota resident Carrie Elizabeth said as she went out to survey the aftermath of the storm today.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the storm spawned deadly tornadoes and left more than three million people without power.
In a statement on its website, St Lucie County on the east coast confirmed four deaths from the tornado.
Winds toppled large trees and tore off the roof at the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, as well as causing a construction crane to fall onto a nearby downtown building.
In Clearwater on the west coast, emergency teams in rescue boats descended in the early hours of the morning, rescuing residents trapped in their homes by floods that reached more than a meter.
As the eye of the storm exits the peninsula, communities are still faced with strong winds, heavy rain, and the risk of flash floods.
Amid tornado fears, St. Lucie County sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video on his department’s Facebook page advising residents to seek shelter.
The video shows a garage for destroyed police cars. – AFP
