Hurricane Milton has left Florida authorities scrambling to assess the damage after a devastating storm brought widespread destruction, tornadoes, and flooding.
The hurricane, which made landfall in central Florida, caused at least 16 fatalities, according to the Tampa Bay Times, and the death toll may rise as recovery efforts continue.
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged northwest Florida, Milton’s impact was severe, though it spared some areas from the worst-case scenario initially feared.
Milton’s path of destruction included 150 homes wrecked, power outages affecting over 3.3 million customers, and significant damage from storm surges and flooding.
A 500-foot construction crane toppled, and several tornadoes wreaked havoc in their wake. In Sarasota County, storm surges reached up to 10 feet, and some areas experienced 18 inches of rain, contributing to ongoing flooding.
Rescue efforts continue in flooded areas as officials fear the hurricane’s death toll may rise.Rescue operations have already pulled survivors from dangerous conditions, including a boy found floating on debris and a man rescued from the Gulf of Mexico.
Mass evacuations helped reduce the potential death toll, but several tornado-related fatalities occurred on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Despite the devastation, authorities believe the region will recover swiftly. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that it wasn’t the “worst-case scenario” and expressed optimism about the state’s resilience.
However, the political fallout has been significant. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump exchanged barbs over the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, with accusations of partisan handling of relief efforts.
Trump’s criticism of the Biden administration’s hurricane response has drawn bipartisan rebukes.
Meanwhile, meteorologists tracking Milton have faced a surge in misinformation and conspiracy theories, some even receiving death threats, compounding the challenges of managing the public’s understanding of the storm’s impact.