Florida counts the cost: Tornadoes, flooding, and Milton’s impact

Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, made landfall in Sarasota County, Florida, near Siesta Key at 8:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The storm brought sustained winds of 120 mph, knocking out power to more than 1.5 million homes and businesses, especially in Sarasota and neighboring Manatee counties, according to poweroutage.us.

The storm is expected to cause a deadly storm surge along Florida's Gulf Coast, affecting heavily populated areas including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. Nearly 100,000 people have sought refuge in evacuation centers, according to Florida's Division of Emergency Management.

Speaking earlier from the White House, President Joe Biden warned that Milton could be "one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida in over a century," urging residents to follow evacuation orders. The storm’s powerful winds and potential for widespread damage have experts concerned.

Before landfall, several tornadoes hit Florida, killing two people in St. Lucie County and injuring others, NBC reported.

Sky News U.S. correspondent James Matthews, reporting from Tampa, said, "You can feel the devastating power of the storm," as it made landfall just 60 miles away. Local officials warned that the full scale of the destruction will not be visible until daylight.

As Hurricane Milton approached, evacuation orders were issued for nearly two million residents. Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, urged residents to flee, comparing the storm to the devastating Hurricane Helene, which struck the region years ago. "This is going to be a knockout. You need to get out now," she said.

Animals at Tampa's zoo were moved to secure shelters as residents fled north on Interstate 75, causing heavy traffic in both directions, with some seeking safety on the east coast in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Milton is expected to weaken as it moves over the Atlantic but still poses risks to Florida's eastern coast.

[Information sourced from Sky News]