Hurricane Milton latest: Biden visits hard-hit communities in Florida as power outages continue in Tampa

Forecasters have warned that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks

CNN host gets hit by flying debris live on air while covering Hurricane Milton

President Joe Biden visited Florida on Sunday to tour communities impacted by Hurricane Milton.

During the visit, the president announced more than $600m in funding for projects for electric grid resilience to help the state become better equipped to deal with future storms.

So far, at least 23 people have died as a result of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.

Six people in St Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.

While Floridians return home to survey the damage to their communities, officials are warning that major flooding could still hit north of Tampa.

As of Sunday evening, more than 517,000 homes were still without power in Florida, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. Damage from the storm is estimated to have cost upwards of $160bn.

Key points

• Hurricane Milton warnings discontinued – but ‘hazards remain’
• ‘Significant river flooding' expected to continue for the coming days to weeks
• Death toll climbs to 17 including six killed by tornadoes in St Lucie County

[12 October 2024 21:23 · Josh Marcus]

Hurricane Milton reveals how city planning lags behind climate reality

In cities around Florida’s Tampa Bay region, even residents in areas not considered flood risks zones saw their homes inundated with water, sewage, and debris.

That’s because federal “flood-risk zone” maps don’t quite capture the complex realities on the ground anymore, where continued development has eroded the protections provided by Florida’s natural wetlands, and extreme weather grows more common from climate change.

As the Tampa Bay Times notes in a recent piece, areas in St. Petersburg, Lutz, New Tampa, and across Pasco County experienced major flooding days after Miton moved on, even in areas not historically considered flood zones.

“Everyone in Florida is at risk from hurricane flooding,” Trevor Burgess, CEO of Florida insurer Neptune Flood, told the paper. “It just comes down to whether or not you’re required by law to buy insurance.”