Scientific Asia: Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm. It had gusts over 100 mph (160 kph) and spawned tornadoes. The coast, still reeling from Hurricane Helene, was left in ruins. However, Tampa was spared a direct impact.
The storm moved southward over the last several hours. It made landfall about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa, in Siesta Key, near Sarasota. With nearly 16 inches (41 cm) of rain, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for St. Petersburg. The situation in the Tampa area was still a serious emergency.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ home field, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, looked to be seriously damaged. Images captured on television on Wednesday night revealed that the cloth that covers the domed structure had been torn to pieces. If there was damage inside the stadium, it was not immediately apparent.
Poweroutage.us, which tracks utility stats, says over 2 million Florida homes and businesses are without power. Hardee County, along with its neighboring counties Sarasota and Manatee, experienced the highest number of power outages.
Tornadoes were surfacing throughout the state before Milton ever made landfall. Homes were destroyed and several residents lost their lives at the Spanish Lakes Country Club, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic Coast close to Fort Pierce.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, “We have lost some life,” but he would not disclose the exact number of fatalities.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said that before the hurricane hit, about 125 homes were destroyed. Many were mobile homes in senior citizen communities.
Milton was reduced to a Category 2 hurricane approximately ninety minutes after it made landfall. Storm surge warnings were in place for sections of Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf beaches by late Wednesday, when the hurricane’s maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 105 mph (165 kph).
Heavy rains were expected to cause inland flooding as Milton, a hurricane, moved through the Florida Peninsula. It would emerge into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. It should affect the densely populated Orlando region.
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Two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated western Florida, it hit a still-shattered region. The storm had killed at least 230 people in the South. Municipalities rushed to gather and get rid of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge could scatter it and exacerbate any damage in several coastal areas.
Authorities have given severe warnings to evacuate or risk a very little chance of surviving.
“This is it, people,” declared Cathie Perkins, the director of emergency management for Pinellas County, located on the peninsula forming Tampa Bay. This is going to be a knockout for any of you who were hit hard by Hurricane Helene. You must leave immediately.
By late afternoon, several officials declared that it was too late to make such attempts and advised those who chose to stay behind to fortify themselves. Some counties declared they had stopped providing emergency services by the evening.
Jackie Curnick admitted that she struggled to decide whether to stay at her Sarasota, Florida, house or go farther north when the storm hit land. Curnick and her husband believed it was best, though, because they had a 2-year-old son and a baby girl expected on October 29.
Curnick reported that they began to leave on Monday. But they couldn’t find any open hotel rooms. The ones they found were too costly.
If they drove off in the car, she said there would be too many unanswered questions. Where would they sleep? Could they fill the tank? And could they find a safe way out of the state?
She remarked, “The thing is, evacuating from a peninsula is difficult.” “You can leave in any direction in the majority of other states. There are only so many north- and south-bound roads in Florida.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis detailed the deployment of a broad array of resources at a press conference in Tallahassee. They included over 50,000 utility workers from as far as California; 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; and highway patrol cars with sirens to escort gas tankers carrying resupplies so people could refuel before fleeing.
“Sadly, there will be some who die. There’s no getting around that, in my opinion,” DeSantis stated.
Conditions worsened as severe rain and tornadoes battered southern Florida, starting Wednesday morning. There was a chance of catastrophic flooding due to the predicted rain. It was expected to be six to twelve inches (15 to 31 centimeters), with up to eighteen inches (46 centimeters) in some areas.
In the sparsely inhabited Everglades, a single tornado made landfall on Wednesday morning and crossed Interstate 75. Another apparent tornado made landfall in Fort Myers, breaking off tree limbs and destroying the canopy of a petrol station.
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About 7.2 million people live in 15 Florida counties with mandatory evacuation orders.
At the height of the storm, officials cautioned that anyone who chose to stay behind would have to fend for themselves since first responders were not expected to sacrifice their lives in an attempt to rescue people.
Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg advised locals to prepare for extended blackouts and the potential shutdown of the sewer system.
Josh Parks was packing his Kia with clothes and other things. Then, clouds and gusty winds swirled over Charlotte Harbor, 100 miles south of Tampa.
Helene’s surge brought about five feet (1.5 meters) of water to the area two weeks ago. Its streets are still clogged with wet furniture, broken drywall, and other debris.
Parks, an auto technician, claimed his roommate had already departed and that he intended to escape to his daughter’s house inland.
He remarked, “I told her to pack like you’re not coming back.”
Airlines had canceled over 1,900 flights by early afternoon. On Wednesday, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando closed in the afternoon, and SeaWorld was closed all day.
According to GasBuddy, more than 60% of the gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were empty on Wednesday afternoon.
DeSantis said the state’s fuel supply was adequate. Highway patrol agents were escorting tanker trucks to restock it.
Christian Burke and his mother remained in their three-story concrete home overlooking the bay in Gulfport, part of the Tampa Bay area. Burke stated that his father intended for this house to be tested with a Category 5.
Burke said that lingering isn’t smart. He added, “I’m not laughing at this storm.” A passing police car blared to encourage an escape.
