Hurricane Milton: Florida attempts to recover from ‘once in a lifetime’ storm as 1.6m still without power

As Florida begins the daunting clean up after Hurricane Milton, forecasters have warned that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks.

Florida is facing a long road to recovery following back-to-back “once in a lifetime” storms from Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

At least 17 people have been killed and caused an estimated $74 billion in damage caused to the state as a result of Hurricane Milton which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane last Wednesday night local time, spawning dozens of tornadoes, eight-metre waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and a devastating storm surge.

Debris is seen in front of the Thunderbird Beach Resort in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Treasure Island, Florida. Picture: AFP

A worker sweeps the water and mud from inside a Florida supermarket after it was inundated with flood water when Hurricane Milton passed through. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Giant sinkholes emerged across the hardest-hit areas, swallowing up roads, footpaths, and even homes and cars.

The storm downed power lines, shredded the roof of the Tampa baseball stadium and inundated homes. The National Weather Service issued a record 126 tornado warnings across the state.

Days later, the threat to life is far from over with 1.6 million homes still without power across Florida as of Saturday local time and forecasters warning that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks.

Hurricane sinkholes

#teamHCSO is out this morning, assisting residents with evacuations as the Alafia River near Rose Street has flooded. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911. pic.twitter.com/LluK06UlBD

— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 11, 2024

Meanwhile a phosphate mine operator warned that during the storm its facility dumped thousands of gallons of pollution into Tampa Bay as drains overflowed.

Authorities and residents are working to assess the extent of the damage from the storm, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. More than 50,000 linemen have been deployed in an effort to restore power, Governor Ron DeSantis said.

Aerial view of destroyed houses in Port St Lucie, Florida, after a tornado hit the area and caused severe damage as Hurricane Milton swept through Florida. Picture: AFP

US President Joe Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday local time, as the federal government’s response to Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene take on increased political significance ahead of the US election.

Meteorologists have been receiving death threats after viral social media posts about the government’s ability to “control the weather”.

Asked whether Donald Trump was singularly to blame for a dangerous swirl of misinformation, Biden replied, “No … but he has the biggest mouth.”

People clean up storm debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Debris litters a beach as clean up from hurricanes Helene and Milton continues along The Gulf Coast. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

Vehicles drive through flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Lake Maggiore, Florida, on October 10, 2024. Picture: AFP

Originally published as Hurricane Milton: Florida attempts to recover from ‘once in a lifetime’ storm as 1.6m still without power