Hurricane Milton officially made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, with local residents holed up in air raid shelters or evacuated from areas expected to be hit, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The devastating storm, which dropped from a Category 4 to a Category 3 shortly before landfall, had sustained winds of 190 mph and higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said. reported. Warnings for Hurricane Milton began earlier in the week, with lawmakers and officials urging residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast region to flee their homes or prepare for dire impacts. According to To the Associated Press.
“With Hurricane Milton making landfall near Sarasota County, now is the time to shelter in place. First responders are in place and ready to go as soon as weather permits. Search and rescue operations are underway. We have been well on our way to saving lives since before dawn, and will continue to do so for as long as it takes,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican. Posted To X.
An estimated 2 million people were under federal flash flood warnings, including residents of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida. Tampa National Weather Service“6 to 12 inches of rain” had already fallen.
In X, violent videos of the storm began to circulate, with strong winds tearing down houses, trees and power lines. (Related: KJP refuses to say where Biden will go if hurricane makes landfall)
BREAKING: Hurricane Milton causes tornadoes in St. Lucie County, Florida, killing multiple people, local media reports#hurricanmilton #miltonhurricane #milton #storm footage #FloridaStorm https://t.co/EoMxODqfuV pic.twitter.com/UrMEsXE22j
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) October 10, 2024
Florida has been hit hard. #milton #milton2024 #hurricanmilton #hurricanemilton
— Mohamed Elkawas (@melkawas) October 9, 2024
Initial reports indicated a tornado touched down and caused deaths before making landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the West Palm Beach-based news agency said. Affiliate WPTV. Details of the deaths are unclear, but St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed to the media that “multiple people” were killed.
The storm followed Hurricane Helen, which was a Category 4 storm and resulted in deaths. 200 or more After first landing in Florida on the night of September 26th, the group ran through North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
