Hurricane Milton Batters Florida With Tornadoes, Floods, Storm Surges; Power Outages In Over One Million Homes

Florida: Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, Hurricane Milton made a devastating landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. It unleashed a destructive storm surge and caused widespread flooding. Over 1 million households in the region plunged into darkness without power.

According to reports, the storm briefly reached Category 5 status before striking near Sarasota. This is the second major hurricane to hit the region in barely two weeks. Heavy rain, tornadoes, and strong winds reportedly caused severe damage across the state.
Earlier, the weathermen had predicted storm surges up to 13 feet, with relentless rainfall. After making the landfall— according to the NY Times— Milton weakened to a Category 2 hurricane. Its wind speed decreased to 110 miles per hour.

Many killed in Milton aftermath

A tornado struck Fort Pierce, Florida on Wednesday as the aftermath of Milton. It caused multiple deaths at a retirement community. Reports claimed that many people lost their lives when the storm tore through the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village. The exact number of casualties is still unknown.

Flash flood emergency announced

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The warning is for heavy rainfall and catastrophic flash flooding.

Power outages

At least 125 houses were knocked down in the area, reports stated. Hurricane Milton caused widespread power outages in Florida. Over 1 million homes and businesses were affected. Over 70,000 homes and businesses were plunged into darkness. Over 3 million people in the Tampa Bay area were told to leave their homes before the arrival of Hurricane Milton, reports claimed.