Florida residents are battling extensive flooding as streets turn to rivers after Hurricane Milton slammed into the west coast, leaving “multiple” fatalities.
Milton landed as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing multiple tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
More than three million homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted.
“Multiple deaths” have already been confirmed after dozens of tornadoes spawned in St Lucie County, where a tornado struck Spanish Lakes Country Club retirement village in Fort Pierce, county Sheriff Keith Pearson said.
A large crane was downed in St Petersburg, and the Tropicana Field baseball stadium roof was ripped clean off during Milton’s ferocious winds.
After landfall, Milton has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, but the threat to life continues through Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warned
Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions across Florida, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those neglecting advice.
“What we’ll probably be finding in the morning are bodies,” Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday.
