Hurricane Milton live updates: Death toll rises after monster storm strikes Florida with tornadoes, flooding, wind
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 11 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.
Milton death toll reaches 11
The storm-related death toll from Milton in Florida has reached 11, according to a count by NBC News.
The most recent confirmed death occurred when a tree fell on a vehicle in Citrus County, killing the driver, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Chicago Marathon allows Florida participants to defer entry to race
The Chicago Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, October 13, is allowing participants from Florida to defer their entry to the 2025 race following Hurricane Milton.
“We’re closely monitoring the situation and how this very serious storm may impact participants from Florida,” the Chicago Marathon told Runner’s World in an e-mail. “We understand these participants may not be able to take part in this year’s race safely as they navigate the challenges ahead and focus on their own safety and well-being.”
Biden warns conditions in Florida still ‘very dangerous’ after Milton
President Biden said Thursday afternoon that Hurricane Milton had brought 10-20 inches of rain the Tampa area and 38 tornadoes across 13 Florida counties.
However, the president said it’s still too soon to be able to fully understand the storm’s impact.
“There are still very dangerous conditions in the state,” Biden said. “People should wait to be given all clear by their leaders before they go out.”
The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are assessing how fast they can reopen the Port of Tampa.
“Vice President Harris and I have been in constant contact with the state and local officials,” the president said. “We’re offering everything they need.”
Nearly 1K flights canceled Thursday across Florida airports
Nearly 1,000 flights were canceled Thursday at airports across Florida.
Orlando and Tampa International Airports both reported numbers in the hundreds, according to tracking service FlightAware.
There were more than 2,256 canceled flights into, within, or out of the US.
St. Lucie County Commissioner George Landry: ‘This has been a tragic 24 hours’
“This has been a tragic 24 hours,” an emotional St. Lucie County Commissioner George Landry told reporters during a press conference early Thursday afternoon.
Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing in the county, which has confirmed five fatalities.
There were approximately 12 tornadoes reported there within a period of 90 minutes, leading to more than 900 calls to its 911 center.
Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System running full operations after Milton
“We are completely full and at capacity, but we’re running full operations right now,” Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System CEO David Verinder told MSNBC on Thursday. There were 4,700 people at their two sites by Hurricane Milton hit on Wednesday night.
“Our 2 hospitals, North Port ER and Nursing & Rehab Center withstood the impact of the Category 3 hurricane and we were able to continue caring for roughly 1,000 patients and medical evacuees across the system,” the system said in a Thursday update. “We will be assessing our urgent cares, outpatient sites and medical offices as soon as we can to determine when they can re-open; updates to follow.”
Mayorkas condemns hate speech online: ‘It has got to stop'
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that the government is “seeing horrific hate speech of all types, propagated on online platforms” pertaining to people trying to help address the damage from Milton.
He said it’s been “a motivating force for people to do harm and it has got to stop.”
Mayorkas says continuing resolution not a ‘stable way’ to fund the federal government
“A continuing resolution is not a stable way to fund the federal government,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday. “Needs change from year to year and we need real budgets upon which we can rely and upon which we can predicate responsible financial planning and financial management.”
“The Disaster Relief Fund and the funding of it should be completely nonpartisan and apolitical,” he added.
Mayorkas says officials working to ensure residents of states hit by hurricanes have access to voting
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says officials are working to ensure residents in areas affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene have access to voting before the November 5 presidential election.
“We have seen state and local officials who are, of course, on point in ensuring access to voting. We have seen them take measures to ensure that people can, in fact, reach their polling places,” he told the White House press briefing.
“Some polling places have been damaged, for example, as a result of Hurricane Helene. But, they are pivoting to make sure that there are other facilities available to them. And, they’ll have different places at which they can place their votes.”
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