At least 10 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced at a White House briefing on Thursday.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly on Thursday, plucking Florida residents from the wreckage left by Milton. The storm smashed through coastal communities, tearing homes into pieces, filling streets with mud, and spawning a barrage of deadly tornadoes.
Arriving just two weeks after the devastation of storm Helene, Milton further battered the state, knocking out power to more than 3.4 million customers. The hurricane flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off a baseball stadium, and toppled a construction crane.
The storm tracked southward in its final hours, making landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane in Siesta Key, about 112 kilometers south of Tampa. Damage was widespread, and water levels are expected to continue rising for days.
Authorities reported that five people were killed in tornadoes at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, where homes were destroyed. Police also found a woman dead under a fallen tree branch in Tampa.
About 80,000 people spent the night in shelters, while thousands more fled after authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders across 15 Florida counties, affecting a total population of about 7.2 million people.
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Hurricane Milton leaves at least 10 dead and millions in the dark
cgtn.com
