Hurricane Milton Pummels Florida, Leaving Trail of Destruction

Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, slammed into Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, bringing devastation to a region still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. The storm made landfall near Siesta Key, south of Tampa, with winds exceeding 100 mph and producing a barrage of tornadoes, The Associated Press reports.

While Tampa was spared a direct hit, the storm’s impact on the surrounding area was significant. St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to issue warnings of flash flooding. Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained severe damage, with its fabric roof ripped to shreds. Multiple cranes were also toppled by the powerful winds.

St. Petersburg residents faced an additional crisis as a water main break forced the city to shut down water service.

Across Florida, the storm knocked out power to over 2.6 million homes and businesses. Even before landfall, tornadoes ripped through the state, leaving a trail of destruction. Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce on the Atlantic coast was particularly hard-hit, with homes destroyed and fatalities reported.

Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, reported that around 125 homes, many of them mobile homes in senior citizen communities, were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall.

Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm shortly after making landfall and further weakened to a Category 1 storm early Thursday. Despite this, heavy rains were expected to cause flooding inland as the storm traversed the Florida peninsula. The heavily populated Orlando area is expected to be impacted.

This storm arrives just two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the South. Many coastal communities were struggling to clear debris before Milton’s arrival, fearing the storm surge would exacerbate the damage.

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for 15 Florida counties, encompassing a population of approximately 7.2 million. Officials emphasized that anyone remaining behind would have to fend for themselves, as first responders would not risk their lives attempting rescues during the storm’s peak.