TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton unleashed its fury on Florida as a formidable Category 3 tempest on Wednesday, inflicting havoc upon a coastline still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. With winds exceeding 100 mph (160 kph) and a series of tornadoes, Milton narrowly spared Tampa from a direct strike. The storm shifted southward in its final hours, making landfall in Siesta Key, near Sarasota, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa.
In the Tampa region, the situation remained dire as St. Petersburg reported over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rainfall, leading the National Weather Service to issue warnings of imminent flash flooding. Damage assessments revealed that Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, suffered significant destruction; television footage later showed the roof’s fabric shredded, though the extent of interior damage remained unclear.
According to poweroutage.us, more than 2 million homes and businesses were left without power across Florida. Hardee County, along with neighboring Sarasota and Manatee counties, experienced the highest outage rates.
Even before Milton made landfall, tornadoes were wreaking havoc across the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, located along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, faced severe devastation, with numerous homes obliterated and casualties reported. “We have lost some lives,” confirmed St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson to WPBF News, although he refrained from disclosing specific numbers.
Preliminary reports indicated that about 125 homes, predominantly mobile residences in senior communities, were destroyed prior to the hurricane’s arrival, according to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Approximately 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By late Wednesday, it maintained maximum sustained winds around 105 mph (165 kph), with storm surge warnings in effect for various areas along Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coastlines.
Heavy rainfall threatened to exacerbate flooding inland along rivers and lakes as Milton traversed the Florida Peninsula, with expectations to emerge into the Atlantic Ocean by Thursday. The storm is anticipated to impact the densely populated Orlando region.
This natural disaster struck a territory still reeling from the catastrophic flooding inflicted by Hurricane Helene just two weeks earlier, which claimed at least 230 lives across the South. Many coastal municipalities raced against time to collect and dispose of debris, aiming to prevent further chaos as Milton approached.
Authorities issued stark warnings for residents to evacuate or face dire consequences. “This is it, folks,” declared Cathie Perkins, emergency management director for Pinellas County, situated on the peninsula encompassing Tampa Bay. “Those of you who suffered during Hurricane Helene, this storm will deliver a knockout. You must evacuate immediately.”
By late afternoon, some officials suggested it was too late for evacuation, advising those who remained to shelter in place. By evening, several counties announced the suspension of emergency services.
Jackie Curnick faced a dilemma about whether to remain in her Sarasota home, just north of the storm’s landfall point. With a 2-year-old son and a baby girl due on October 29, she and her husband opted to stay put. Despite planning to evacuate, they struggled to find available hotel accommodations, with the few options they discovered being prohibitively expensive.
“There are too many uncertainties when you consider leaving,” Curnick expressed. “Where would we sleep? Would we find gas? Could we even identify a safe route out?”
“Evacuating from a peninsula is incredibly challenging,” she added. “In most states, you can escape in any direction, but in Florida, your options are limited to a few roads leading north or south.”
During a news conference in Tallahassee, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the mobilization of extensive resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and beyond, over 50,000 utility workers arriving from as far as California, and highway patrol cars dispatched to escort fuel tankers, ensuring residents could fill their tanks ahead of potential evacuations.