Hurricane Milton Devastates Florida, Leaving Widespread Damage and Power Outages
As Hurricane Milton carved a path of destruction across the Florida Peninsula, the death toll continued to rise, with at least 16 fatalities reported as of Friday afternoon. The storm’s impacts were felt throughout the state, from the Southeast where tornadoes left several people dead, to the Southwest Coast where Milton made landfall, and up through the Tampa Bay area.
The storm’s aftermath left millions without power, with more than 3 million homes and businesses in the dark across the state. The hardest-hit areas were near where Milton made landfall, with nearly everyone losing power in Manatee and Sarasota counties, and Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, reporting over 500,000 powerless customers. First responders continued to conduct water rescues in some inland communities as rivers overflowed their banks.
The cleanup and recovery efforts were further complicated by the fact that Milton struck less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene had already wreaked havoc in the state. Drone footage from St. Petersburg revealed the extent of the damage, with toppled cranes, debris-strewn streets, and the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, partially ripped off. Officials in Sarasota County also reported significant damage on Longboat Key, a barrier island just north of where Milton made landfall.
