Hurricane Milton live updates: At least nine dead as Florida wakes up to survey damage from floods, tornadoes
Multiple fatalities have already been reported as Hurricane Milton continues to wreak havoc as it moves off Florida’s east coast
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At least nine people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated portions of Florida, leaving residents waking up to survey the damage.
Milton made landfall 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.
Four people in St Lucie County retirement village have been killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.
Ferocious winds caused a crane to collapse into the The Tampa Bay Times in St Petersburg, while the roof of Tropicana Field baseball stadium has been left in disrepair.
More than 3.3m homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted.
Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those who neglected advice. “What we’ll probably be finding in the morning are bodies,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday morning.
After landfall, Milton has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is moving off Florida’s east coast – with residents still battling against brutal winds and storm surge.
Record-breaking number of tornado warnings in Florida
Florida has broken its record for the most tornado warnings issued in a single day.
The National Weather Service generated 111 warnings as of 9.30pm UK time.
The highest number of tornado warnings previously issued in the state was 69, a record set on 10 September 2017, ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Tree crashes into Fox News reporter’s car during Hurricane Milton
Tree crashes into reporter’s car as Hurricane Milton tears through west Florida
Fox Weather’s Robert Ray and his crew were given a bit of a shock after a Bradenton pine tree fell into their car
Biden calls Hurricane Milton 'storm of the century' in warning to Florida
Ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall, Joe Biden urged Floridians to heed local officials and brace for “the storm of the century”.
“To the people of Florida and all affected states, we’ve got your back,” Mr Biden said. “We’ve got your back, and Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild.”
He also used his address late on Wednesday to criticise Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his "onslaught of lies" relating to Milton and the earlier Hurricane Helene.
“The last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible, relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Mr Biden said from the White House, “It’s ridiculous, and it’s got to stop.”
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