Hurricane Milton’s Impacts: What We Know So Far

Hurricane Milton’s Impacts: What We Know So Far

Flooding, wind damage and power outages affected areas throughout Florida. At least 12 people were killed.

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By Orlando Mayorquín

Hurricane Milton’s uneven path of destruction across Florida included heavy flooding, power outages and damage from tornadoes generated by the storm.

Many areas were inundated by water, but not to the degree that officials had feared. Some homes in the storm’s path were leveled — by one early estimate, more than 120 were destroyed — while other structures nearby remained intact. On the Atlantic Coast, far from the Sarasota region where the storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, there was severe damage from winds.

At least 12 deaths have been linked to Milton and hundreds of people have been rescued from hard-hit areas.

Nearly three million customers in Florida were still without power on Thursday evening as emergency crews continued restoration efforts throughout the state.

Here’s how Milton affected different regions of the state.

Tampa Bay was spared from the worst of the storm surge but still was damaged by wind and rain.

The Tampa Bay region did not experience disastrous storm surge, which many forecasters feared. Still, there was serious flooding in many communities along the west coast, where as much as 18 inches of rain fell, and some areas were battered.

Before-and-after images taken along the Gulf Coast showed residential streets and lawns under water, and fallen trees and debris scattered about.

In Sarasota, Clearwater and other communities, rescuers pulled people from flooded or damaged buildings and vehicles.

And in St. Petersburg, gusts of more than 100 miles per hour tore the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field baseball stadium and smashed a 500-foot crane onto a building occupied by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. The water system was another problem the city faced on Thursday — many residents were advised to boil their water until crews made repairs.

Areas of Central Florida suffered flooding.

Significant flooding from swollen rivers and extensive power outages occurred in Central Florida after Milton moved over the region on Wednesday night.

Some counties were still almost entirely without power on Thursday evening. In Highlands County, 93 percent of customers did not have electricity.

Still, officials in the region said it had escaped catastrophe. In Orlando, Milton left its mark in the form of downed street poles and trees. More than 120,000 customers were still without power in Orange County, which includes Orlando, as of Thursday evening.

Some areas of Central Florida saw 10 to 15 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said, adding that it could take days for the water in rivers and flooded areas to subside.

There were damaging tornadoes on the east coast.

Tornadoes spawned by Milton killed at least six people in St. Lucie County on the eastern side of the state and damaged dozens of homes in Martin County to the south of St. Lucie.

Some of the victims resided at Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, according to the victims’ family members, a retirement community of mobile homes north of Fort Pierce.

Many coastal communities on this side of the peninsula were also still reeling from the deluge of rain and surging tides on Thursday.

Officials in Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, were still trying on Thursday to reach people who were left stranded in homes in areas cut off by flooded roadways. Also in that county, the sheriff’s office confirmed that four deaths were linked to the storm, including two people who died after trees fell on homes.

Patricia Mazzei, Jenna Russell, Kate Selig, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Annie Correal and Jennifer Reed contributed reporting.

More on Hurricane Milton

• Falsehoods Disrupt Recovery: Experts warn that weather-related disinformation can rapidly escalate into real-world risks and distract from aid.
• What It Was Like in the Eye: Here’s our reporter’s account of a harrowing night in Sarasota, Fla. — different from anything she has experienced as a native of New England.
• Over 3 Million Without Power: Downed power lines and scattered debris caused widespread power outages in Florida that may prove difficult for utility companies to repair.
• Would His Houseboat Survive?: A man’s boat had survived several storms the last three years. But after Milton swept through, he wasn’t sure he would have a home to return to.
• Mental Health Harms: Research shows that experiencing repeated disasters makes people more vulnerable to mental health issues, and prolongs the time it takes to recover.