Millions of Floridians were left without power Thursday as Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key on Wednesday evening, swept across the state.
The storm spawned tornadoes, caused severe flooding, and resulted in multiple deaths. As of Thursday, more than 3 million people were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Hurricane Milton, which was moving east-northeastward with winds of up to 85 miles per hour, exited Florida’s coast and entered the Atlantic.
Authorities are now assessing the widespread damage, including the collapse of a construction crane in downtown St. Petersburg, which fell on the building that houses the Tampa Bay Times offices.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor assured residents that, despite the devastation, the city had not recorded extensive injuries or fatalities.
She credited the lessons learned from Hurricane Helene, which hit the region just weeks ago, for many residents’ preparedness and safe evacuations.
Tropicana Field’s roof was severely damaged as Milton’s powerful winds tore through St. Petersburg, Florida.However, damage from Milton remains significant, with half a million homes still without power and localized flooding.
Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that Florida had avoided the worst-case scenario, with the storm weakening before reaching the Tampa Bay area.
While the storm had initially been predicted to be a catastrophic Category 5, it lost strength before landfall.
President Biden urged Floridians to remain indoors due to dangerous conditions, including downed power lines and flooding.
He assured that help was on the way but emphasized the need for people to shelter in place until local officials deem it safe to venture outside.
The storm also spawned several tornadoes, with at least four deaths reported in St. Lucie County due to twisters that touched down Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained significant damage to its roof as winds from Milton tore through the area.