Power and other utilities are slowly being restored across Florida less than 12 hours after Hurricane Milton moved across the state. Leaving more than 4 million people without electricity At its peak, flooding occurred in and around the neighbourhood.
Milton Is being blamed for at least 17 deaths In eight counties in Florida.
Hurricane Milton became a powerful Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall near Sarasota on Wednesday as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
Before the storm made landfall, evacuation orders were issued for about 6 million residents, with officials warning that the storm was on a trajectory To create an incurable storm around Tampa Bay.,
Fortunately, due to storm organization and the loss of a track south of Tampa Bay, the city escaped a significant surge, with 5–10 feet of water rise reported between Bradenton and Englewood.
Despite not being the worst for the state, the storm resulted in more than a dozen deaths. many of which were caused by tornado outbreaks Due to this the mobile home park was destroyed.
Emergency managers said about 1,000 people were rescued from debris and floodwaters, as well as at least 100 animals.
Power cuts have reduced but millions are still in the dark
Thousands of utility crews continue to work around the clock, and so far, have helped restore more than one million customers in less than 24 hours after Milton’s landslide.
Most of the approximately 3 million people still without power are expected to be restored by the end of the work week.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said about 50,000 linemen were working to restore power, especially around the Tampa metro, which has been hit by power outages. Most of the damage was caused by fallen trees and power lines.,
Winds reached 101 mph in St. Petersburg and 98 mph in Tampa.
strong winds blew the roof off Tropicana Field, St. Petersburgand dropped one Huge crane taken out from under construction building In city area.
Milton unleashes deadly tornado outbreak
In addition to hurricane-force winds and tornadoes, Milton produced at least 50 tornadoes, including a significant tornado that destroyed part of a senior community in St. Lucie County.
Officials were unsure how many victims may still be trapped in Rubal because many of the residences are part-time living quarters and used primarily during the winter months.
First responders were seen going door to door north of Fort Pierce looking for victims.
Fox Weather correspondent Brandi Campbell finds tornado damage in Fort Myers.
“The front door got blown into the house. So, all that air and that water was coming in,” said one storm victim.
His street and many other streets were littered with large, broken trees and debris that were not there before the tornado.
National Weather Service offices have found preliminary evidence that some twisters could be significant, receiving ratings higher than EF-2 on the advanced Fujita scale.
According to the Fox Forecast Center, less than 1% of all tornadoes associated with tropical systems are rated EF-3 or higher.
Tuesday’s tornado outbreak was fueled by the jet stream injecting energy and dry air around the system, causing significant inversions to develop in the outer bands of Milton.
Recent disasters strain FEMA resources
A combination of wildfires and hurricanes have spread it federal emergency management agency thinBut the Department of Homeland Security assures that there will be a timely response to future disasters.
According to the latest daily briefing, only 8% of FEMA’s workforce has not been hired, but both funding and personnel will be adjusted according to the needs of the American people.
“We have funds to meet immediate needs. “If we have to devote our resources to immediate needs, we will do so at the expense of other efforts,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said during a Wednesday briefing.
Hurricane season runs through November 30, leaving about a month and a half for tropical cyclone development.
According to the Fox Hurricane Center, there is no immediate threat on the horizon, which will allow recovery efforts to proceed uninterrupted in all affected communities across the Southeast.
Milton’s intensity made it the fifth strongest cyclone on record in the Atlantic basin, trailing only Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988), Labor Day (1935), and Rita (2005).
(tags to translate)US news(T)death toll(T)extreme weather(T)Florida(T)Hurricane Milton(T)Tampa(T)weather
