Oct. 10 (UPI) — Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota along Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, knocking out power for nearly 3 million people. Fatalities and injuries were reported.
The storm came ashore near Siesta Key in Sarasota County at about 8:30 p.m. EDT as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
As of 3:50 a.m. Thursday, more than 2.9 million customers in the Sunshine State were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
The number of people without power has been steadily increasing throughout the night. And officials have said about 50,000 utility workers were waiting to be sent out to restore power once it is safe to do so.
The monstrous storm is wreaking havoc as it crosses over the peninsula and is expected, despite weakening, to exit into the Atlantic still boasting hurricane intensity.
Multiple tornadoes were reported throughout the state, with St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson confirming to local media “multiple fatalities” after a tornado tore through the Spanish Lakes Country Club senior community.
Deputies are going door to door, he said, checking on residents.
“They are listening for life,” he said. “This is a weather event like none other.”
On Facebook, Pearson said in a recorded statement that a tornado had destroyed a 10,000-square-foot red iron building at the sheriff’s office that shelters their patrol cars.
In Palm Beach County, the local fire rescue department said in a statement that 911 calls started to come in just before 5 p.m. following multiple reports of tornadoes.
Firefighters rescued multiple people, some who had been trapped under the rubble of damaged structures or stuck in vehicles that had been tossed by strong winds.
At least five people, including three suffering from trauma injuries were transported to local hospitals were health officials were reporting many walk-in patients with minor injuries, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said.
Officials in Martin County, located on the eastern coast of Florida between Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie, said dozens of homes have been damaged, some severely, and a number of both minor and serious injuries have been reported.
In St. Petersburg, located near Tampa on the western coast, officials said in a statement that its fire rescue department was responding to two “critical incidents,” one being a collapsed crane at a construction site and the other being damage to the roof of Tropicana Field, where the Tamp Bay Rays of the MLB play.
Both incidents are located in downtown St. Petersburg.
Images and video of the stadium published online show large segments of its roof missing, with pieces flapping in the wind.
No injuries have been reported in either incident, officials said.
The city also experienced a water main break that forced officials to shut off potable water service citywide. A boil water notice has been put into effect.
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the state Division of Emergency management, told reporters during a press conference prior to landfall that about 125 homes, mostly mobile homes, have been destroyed.
The White House said in a late Wednesday statement that President Joe Biden, who canceled trips abroad because of the storm, has been briefed on the initial impacts of Milton by Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
Milton is hitting Florida as it is still dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Helene that hit the region late last month, causing vasts amounts of destruction and killing at least 230 people.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters during a Wednesday evening press conference prior to landfall that there were 116 tornado warnings with 19 confirmed touch downs.
“Massive amounts” or search-and-rescue equipment and personnel were on stand by, he said, “and we hope there’s not a big need for that.”
About 9,000 National Guard personnel from Florida and other states have been deployed, he said.
