Millions without power after Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding (2024)

TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, where it knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and whipped up 150 tornadoes. The storm caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

The system tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. Damage was widespread, and water levels may continue to rise for days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not “the worst-case scenario.”

The deadly storm surge feared for Tampa never materialized, though the storm dumped up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) of rain in some areas, the governor said. The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) — lower than in the worst place during Helene.

“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said. "We’ve got more to do, but we will absolutely get through this.”

As dawn broke Thursday, storm-surge warnings were still posted for much of the east-central Florida coast and north into Georgia. Tropical storm warnings were in place along the coast into South Carolina. Officials in the hard-hit Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.

Tornadoes ahead of Hurricane Milton killed 4 people, St. Lucie County says

Tornadoes ahead of Hurricane Milton killed four people, St. Lucie County officials said.

Before Milton even made landfall, heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida Wednesday morning. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed.

Four people were killed in tornadoes there, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane came ashore, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Milton moving off the east coast of Florida

The center of Hurricane Milton was moving off the east coast of Florida early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (137 kph), the National Hurricane Center said. Milton was expected to continue to move away from the peninsula and to the north of the Bahamas.

As the storm barreled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, all hurricane and tropical storm warnings were discontinued for the state’s west coast.

Storm surge warnings remained in effect for parts of the Florida west coast, and along the state’s east coast to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings were also in effect for much of the state’s east-central coast.

Flash flood emergency statement is issued in west-central Florida

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph (160 kph) as it hovered near Fort Meade, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Tampa, early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The hurricane was expected to continue traveling mostly eastward until it enters the Atlantic Ocean sometime late Thursday, the weather service said.

The damaging winds were accompanied by heavy rainfall, and the weather service issued a flash flood emergency statement for portions of west-central Florida. Flash flood emergency statements generally mean life-threatening catastrophic water rising events are already underway or expected to occur in the immediate future.

St. Petersburg officials warned residents that a broken water main forced the city to temporarily shut off its drinking water service at midnight. The city said residents should boil any water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth until the system is restored.

More than 1 million structures lose power

More than 1.5 million homes and businesses were without power Wednesday night in the state, according to tracker poweroutage.us.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The storm threatened communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the South. Along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton's winds and storm surge could toss it around and compound any damage.

Tornadoes spawned tore across Florida ahead of Milton. Videos posted to social media sites showed large funnel clouds over neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state.

Earlier, officials issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.

"This is it, folks," said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. "Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now."

By late afternoon, some officials said the time passed for such efforts, suggesting people who stayed behind hunker down instead. By evening, some counties announced they suspended emergency services.

Jackie Curnick said she wrestled with her decision to stay and hunker down at home in Sarasota, just north of where the storm made landfall. But with a 2-year-old son and a baby girl due Oct. 29, Curnick and her husband thought it was for the best.

Curnick said they started packing Monday to evacuate, but they couldn't find any available hotel rooms, and the few they came by were too expensive.

She said there were too many unanswered questions if they got in the car and left: Where to sleep, if they'd be able to fill up their gas tank, and if they could even find a safe route out of the state.

"The thing is it's so difficult to evacuate in a peninsula," she said. "In most other states, you can go in any direction to get out. In Florida there are only so many roads that take you north or south."

The famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which spans the mouth of Tampa Bay, closed around midday. Other major bridges also closed.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis described deployment of a wide range of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; over 50,000 utility workers from as far as California; and highway patrol cars with sirens to escort gasoline tankers to replenish supplies so people could fill up their tanks before evacuating.

"Unfortunately, there will be fatalities," he said. "I don't think there's any way around that."

Heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida starting Wednesday morning,with conditions deteriorating throughout the day. Six to 12 inches of rain, with up to 18 inches in some places, was expected well inland, bringing the risk of catastrophic flooding.

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders across 15 Florida counties with a total population of about 7.2 million people. Officials warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, because first responders were not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.

More than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of gas Wednesday afternoon, according to GasBuddy. DeSantis said the state's overall supply was fine, and highway patrol officers were escorting tanker trucks to replenish the supply.

In the Tampa Bay area's Gulfport, Christian Burke and his mother stayed put in their three-story concrete home overlooking the bay. Burke said his father designed this home with a Category 5 in mind — and now they're going to test it.

As a passing police vehicle blared encouragement to evacuate, Burke acknowledged staying isn't a good idea and said he's "not laughing at this storm one bit."

Storm watchers also concerned about another system that could form

Storm watchers were also concerned about the possibility of a future storm, as the National Hurricane Center said it was monitoring another system that could form in the Atlantic.

But that storm system, which was located about 300 miles west-southwest of Bermuda on Wednesday afternoon, hadn’t been given a name yet and the chance of it forming a cyclone over the next 48 hours was “low,” the center said.

“Environmental conditions are becoming less favorable for tropical or subtropical development today,” the center said in its statement.

Still, the possible formation of another hurricane brought anxiety to residents already fatigued by the quick succession of Helene and Milton. Milton was the 13th named storm of the hurricane season, and the next hurricane could be called Hurricane Nadine.

NOAA forecast 17 to 25 named storms for this year, an above normal hurricane season.

Why are scientists saying this is a weird storm season?

Forecasters predicted a busy Atlantic hurricane season, and it began when Beryl became the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status.

But from Aug. 20 — the traditional start of peak hurricane season — to Sept. 23 it was record quiet, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Then, five hurricanes popped up between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6 — more than double the old record of two. On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes in October at the same time, which had never happened before, Klotzbach said. In just 46½hours, Hurricane Milton went from forming as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane.

‘This one is definitely more unnerving than usual’

The water level along the Anclote River already looked ominously high near Beverly Boggess’s home in Pasco County, Florida, on Wednesday.

Her property sits in front of the river, which flows from the eastern part of the county to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is due to crest at 25 feet on Friday evening, more than double its current level at 11 feet.

Boggess, 56, is a Florida native. By her count, Milton will be the 41st named storm of her life. But she said something feels different this time.

“This one is definitely more unnerving than usual,” Boggess said. “The fact that this one is coming directly at us and not riding the coast is cause for concern. I’m still praying that it will die down.”

Bogess, who said she doesn’t live in an immediate evacuation zone, removed all possible projectiles from her property. She boarded her windows, secured a generator and stocked up on food and gas. Bogess planned to shelter with her family, including her grandson, a 6-year-old with special needs.

She works for a state building contractor with a water damage repair company. She said her crews are exhausted from performing remediation services, such as ripping out dry wall, around the clock for the last two weeks. Everyone is in “storm shock,” she said.

“This is a way of life and the price we all pay to live in the tropics,” Bogess said.

In North Carolina, a FEMA regional official says the agency can respond to both Helene and Milton

Asked at a briefing in Buncombe County, North Carolina, about FEMA’s ability to respond to both Milton and Helene, MaryAnn Tierney, a regional administrator for the agency replied: “FEMA can do more than one thing at a time.”

The agency can provide personnel to western North Carolina and assistance to survivors while balancing needs created by Hurricane Milton, Tierney said.

“FEMA has funding and we have personnel to do so. We have hundreds of personnel in North Carolina. We have hundreds of personnel in Florida. We are here for an extended period of time given the long-term recovery,” she said. “FEMA’s mission in western North Carolina will be enduring.”

How bad is damage expected to be?

With Milton, forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay, and just south of there, from Anna Maria Island to Boca Grande, a surge of up to 13 feet.

In St. Petersburg, located on Tampa Bay, officials said residents should prepare for extended power outages and the possible shutdown of its sewage system. Mayor Ken Welch said it wasn't a storm that the area would recover from quickly: “We have a long road ahead of us.”

What if I have travel plans to Florida?

Tourism in Orlando rapidly came to a standstill Wednesday with the main airport and at least three theme parks and other businesses set to shut down, leaving Florida residents and visitors fleeing Hurricane Milton to hunker down in area hotels.

Milton threatened to ruin the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists who came to Orlando to visit the likes of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, or partake in October festivities like Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Disney and Universal were due to close Wednesday afternoon while SeaWorld did not open at all. All are expected to remain closed Thursday.

Orlando International Airport, the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked, ceased operations Wednesday morning.

What's the connection between the Waffle House and hurricanes?

If the Georgia-based restaurant chain stays open in town, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the diner has come to indicate impending disaster.

What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners and even federal officials to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid. The Waffle House Index was thought up two decades ago by a federal emergency management official.