Hurricane Milton death toll rises to 17 with 1.8m still without power as flooding threat to last ‘weeks’: Live
Wind and storm surge warnings for Milton have been discontinued but hazards in the hurricane’s aftermath remain
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At least 17 people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated Florida, as forecasters warned that the threat of flooding will remain in place for "days to weeks".
Authorities and residents are assessing the extent of the damage from the storm, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted.
Around 1.8 million homes and businesses in Florida still without power early on Saturday, .
More than 50,000 linemen have been deployed in an effort to restore power, governor Ron DeSantis said.
A phosphate mine operator warned that during the storm its facility dumped thousands of gallons of pollution into Tampa Bay as drains overflowed.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Six people were killed in St Lucie County retirement village after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.
Ferocious winds caused a crane to collapse into The Tampa Bay Times in St Petersburg, while the Tampa Bay Rays said the roof of their Tropicana Field stadium was badly damaged.
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2.5m of Florida’s homes and businesses still without power
More than 2.5m homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the state’s center and the west-central region the worst impacted.
Hillsborough County sees almost 500,000 electricity customers in blackout conditions, while almost 89 percent of customers in Highlands County have been left without power.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a Thursday press briefing that tens of thousands of linemen are working to restore power across the Sunshine State.
“With the full support of the state, and the pre-staging of over 50,000 linemen, utility companies and telecommunications providers are working hard to restore power and connectivity to these communities as quickly as possible,” he said.
Walz shares message for Floridians affected by Milton, Helene
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