Hurricane Milton weakens as it marches across central Florida, homes destroyed
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ST PETERSBURG, Florida – Hurricane Milton marched across central Florida on Oct 10 after making landfall on the state’s west coast hours earlier, whipping up deadly tornadoes, destroying homes and knocking out power to nearly two million customers.
The storm made landfall at around 8.30pm Eastern Daylight Time on Oct 9 (8.30am Singapore time on Oct 10) as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 195kmh near Siesta Key, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
By early Oct 10, wind speeds fell to a still dangerous 150kmh, dropping Milton to a Category 1 hurricane, with heavy rains and damaging storm surges.
The hurricane was located about 75km west-southwest of Cape Canaveral, home to Nasa’s Space Force Station.
A flash flood emergency was in effect for the Tampa Bay area including the cities of Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, the hurricane centre said, with St Petersburg already getting 422mm of rain on Oct 9.
The eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, a barrier island town of some 5,400 off Sarasota about 100km south of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which is home to more than three million people.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he hoped Tampa Bay, once seen as the potential bull’s eye, could dodge major damage and that the worst of the predicted storm surge could be avoided thanks to the landfall coming before the high tide.
Forecasters said seawater could rise as high as 4m.
Beached boats during Hurricane Milton in St Petersburg, Florida, on Oct 9. At sea, the hurricane created waves close to 8.5m high, said the authorities.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Mr DeSantis reported Milton had also spawned at least 19 tornadoes, and caused damage in numerous counties, destroying around 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.
“At this point, it’s too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to shelter in place and just hunker down,” Mr DeSantis said upon announcing the landfall.
At least two deaths were reported at a retirement community following a suspected tornado in Fort Pierce on the eastern coast of Florida, NBC News reported, citing St Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson.
His department did not immediately respond to a request for details.
People getting help in a cafeteria of a school turned into a shelter during Hurricane Milton in Orlando, Florida, on Oct 9.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
The sheriff estimated 100 homes were destroyed in the county where some 17 tornadoes touched down, NBC said.
More than two million homes and businesses in Florida were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
The storm was expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight and emerge into the Atlantic, still with hurricane force, on Oct 10.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane intensity while crossing Florida later on the morning of Oct 10, but after moving into the Atlantic, it is likely to gradually lose tropical characteristics and slowly weaken, the hurricane centre added.
In a state already battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago
Much of the southern US experienced the deadly force of Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago, as it cut a swath of devastation through Florida and several other states.
Both storms are expected to cause untold billions of dollars in damage.
The police preventing people from getting access to beaches during Hurricane Milton in St Petersburg, Florida, on Oct 9.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
US President Joe Biden was briefed by the emergency authorities on the initial impacts of the hurricane, according to a White House statement.
Zoo animals protected
While human evacuees jammed the highways and created petrol shortages, animals including African elephants, Caribbean flamingos and pygmy hippos were riding out the storm at Tampa’s zoo.
Nearly a quarter of Florida’s petrol stations were out of fuel in the afternoon of Oct 9.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has moved millions of litres of water, millions of meals, other supplies and personnel into the area.
None of the additional aid will detract from recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene, the agency’s administrator, Ms Deanne Criswell, said earlier on Oct 9.
Mr DeSantis said trucks have been running 24 hours a day to clear mounds of debris left behind by Helene before Milton potentially turns them into dangerous projectiles.
Relief aid sitting at a distribution centre in North Carolina on Oct 5 after Hurricane Helene hit the US state as well as others like Florida and Georgia.
PHOTO: AFP
About 9,000 National Guard personnel were deployed in Florida, ready to assist recovery efforts, as were 50,000 electricity grid workers in anticipation of widespread power outages, he said.
Search-and-rescue teams were prepared to spring into action as soon as the storm passed, working through the night if needed, Mr DeSantis said.
“It’s going to mean pretty much all the rescues are going to be done in the dark, in the middle of the night, but that’s fine. They’re going to do that,” Mr DeSantis said. REUTERS
