Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday along Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing with it powerful winds, a deadly storm surge, and potential flooding to much of the state. The storm drew energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico waters, reaching Category 5 status twice before making landfall. With maximum sustained winds of 120mph, the hurricane roared ashore near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre.
The Tampa Bay area, which has not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in over a century, was still bracing for the storm’s impact, with a potentially deadly storm surge expected to affect cities such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. An Extreme Wind Warning was issued for the Tampa area, with warnings to treat the situation as severe as a tornado warning.
As the storm made landfall, over a million homes and businesses were without power, according to poweroutage.us, with the highest number of outages reported in Sarasota County and neighboring Manatee County. Heavy rains were also expected to cause flooding inland along rivers and lakes as Milton traversed the Florida peninsula, eventually emerging in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
Hurricane Milton Aftermath (Image via Getty)
The storm’s impact was exacerbated by the fact that it hit a region still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage to beach communities and killed a dozen people in Pinellas County. In response, officials had issued dire warnings for people to flee or face grim odds of survival. However, by the evening, some counties had to suspend emergency services due to the severity of the storm.
As the storm continued to rage on, multiple tornadoes spawned by Milton tore across Florida, causing damage and destruction. Videos posted to social media showed large funnel clouds towering over neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state. Despite the dire situation, officials urged people to “hunker down” unless they had a good reason to leave, with some warning that it was too late to evacuate.
In the end, Hurricane Milton left a trail of destruction in its wake, causing widespread power outages, flooding, and property damage throughout Florida. The storm served as a reminder of the importance of readiness and preparedness in the face of natural disasters, and the need for emergency services to be ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
