Hurricane Milton hit Florida

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At this point, Hurricane Milton's rampage has claimed ten lives. Although the hurricane weakened significantly it also expanded significantly. Energy companies are already recording power outages for more than 3.3 million customers. Almost eleven million inhabitants are already exposed to the risk of flooding.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday evening and has been gradually moving back into the Atlantic Ocean throughout today. Tornadoes and floods do the most damage in the counties of St. Lucie and Volusia. Thousands of homes are flooded here and the Coast Guard had to evacuate many residents to safety. Some roads are impassable and boats are widely used for rescues.

The strongest winds were at Venice Beach in Sarasota County where they reached speeds of 172 kilometers per hour. As for precipitation in some places up to 450 mm of rain fell within a few hours.

Milton also caused extensive damage in Tampa where one of the construction cranes crashed into a downtown building tearing off the roof. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that the storm was not as monstrous as expected. No one can estimate the damage yet but it is likely to be less than Hurricane Helene which hit several states.

More than eighty thousand residents took shelter in shelters overnight. Meanwhile, search teams worked to save families and pets. President Joe Biden has deployed thousands of federal employees and more than a thousand Coast Guard personnel to hurricane-hit areas.

Around 3,000 flights were canceled and delayed due to Hurricane Milton. Milton made landfall in Florida just thirteen days after Hurricane Helene ravaged it.

Source:NBCNews/Editorial