Hurricane Milton updates: At least 10 dead after monster storm
The death toll from the monster storm that wreaked havoc on Florida has risen as the true magnitude of the hurricane’s impact is revealed.
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At least 10 people have died after the monster Hurricane Milton swept through Florida leaving three million people without power.
“It’s not over,” warned Tampa mayor Jane Castor on Thursday morning as the devastation left by the storm started to emerge.
Locals have spoken of how even major buildings, such as a sports stadium, have been “ruined” by the pummelling.
Rescue missions are currently underway to save stranded residents while alligators have been spotted roaming the streets of some suburbs.
Hurricane Milton hit Siesta Key, around halfway between the cities of Tampa and Fort Myers, at around 8.30pm on Wednesday (11.30am Thursday AEST).
It was a category 3 storm as it made landfall. It then weakened to a category 1 storm.
It then swept through the state, skirting Orlando, and exiting into the Atlantic Ocean around Cape Canaveral.
10 deaths confirmed
10 people have been confirmed dead after Hurricane Milton roarded through Florida.
Four of those happened before it even made landfall as tornadoes struck St Lucie County, on the east coast of Florida.
St Lucie is north of West Palm Beach and greater Miami. While the area was on the opposing side of the state to Milton's’s landfall, tornadoes associated with the storm occurred ahead of its arrival and travelled across Florida.
The National Weather Service said the county was hit by three tornadoes in just 25 minutes.
Hundreds of homes were “completely totalled,” county officials told CNN.
“First responders and public works/utility crews are conducting response and recovery efforts caused by two confirmed tornadoes that touched down prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton,” a statement from the county read.
Five deaths occurred in Volusia County, which is also on the opposing coast to Milton’s landfall. Volusia County includes the tourist destination of Daytona Beach. One death was caused by a falling tree.
More than 3 million without power
Around 3.25 million energy customers across Florida woke up without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, according to website PowerOutage.us.
The storm raged across the state as a Category 1 hurricane and forecasters warned that disruption to power networks could potentially take weeks to fix.
‘It’s not over’
The mayor of Tampa, close to where Milton made landfall, has said the city should count its “blessings” that it did not see the predicted storm surge which could have reached four metres high.
“That was what we were really worried about was the storm surge and so, fortunately it, we didn’t see the peak of it,” Jane Castor said.
“But it’s not over,” she added.
Nearby St Petersburg received 41 cm of rain overnight with flooded streets and no mains water.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said emergency services were working to rescue those stranded by the storm.
“What we can say is the storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario,” he said on Thursday.
US President Joe Biden and Mr DeSantis held aa call on Thursday. The White House said the President told the Governor that he would “provide any support the state needs to speed response and recovery”.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also briefed Mr Biden.
Stadium roof ripped off
Arresting images have emerged from St Petersburg, just north of Tampa, where the city’s baseball stadium has been heavily damaged by Milton.
The city, known as St Pete, saw 41cm of rain overnight, has lost power and has no mains water.
At around 10.30pm on Wednesday, Tropicana Field’s roof tore almost completely off with the remnants flapping in the wind.
Home to the Tampa Bay Rays, it was US baseball’s only year round venue due to its retractable dome.
Its roof was supposed to withstand winds of around 185km/h but appears to have been ripped to shreds by gusts of around 165 km/h.
It had been sent up as a shelter for residents but those plans were changed prior to Milton’s arrival.
“It just makes me sad seeing the stadium of the team I love ruined,” local Bill Johnson told The New York Times.
Conspiracy theories swirl as freak hurricane wreaks havoc
Conspiracy theories that Hurricane Milton has been geoengineered are spreading on social media.
Some accounts are pointing to what they say is unusual cloud formations.
Others have claimed that anomalies in satellite images suggest the use of lasers to direct the storm at Florida.
Some TikTok and Twitter accounts are saying the hurricane is being controlled by the US government to sway the outcome of the election. That’s because, some have said, the hurricanes have been focused on Republican voting states.
The comments reveal a deep misunderstanding of hurricanes, and climate in general.
Hurricanes in the Americas, like cyclones in Australia, form in warm, tropical waters. These waters are abundant in The Gulf of Mexico close to states that happen to – generally – vote Republican.
“Milton looks like another man-made storm, and it looks like Trump voters are victims. Is this really what’s happening?” wrote one user on X.
“Biden and Harris are messing with the weather! Hurricane Milton was sent to Florida just like the other hurricane to wipe Florida out! They know those are mostly Trump supporters who live in that state, so 85 per cent of them won’t be able to vote next month,” wrote another.
Other more pedestrian claims have suggested emergency money earmarked for disaster relief has been sent to immigrants instead. Which also isn’t true.
The claims were described as “beyond ridiculous” by President Joe Biden who said “it’s so stupid, it’s got to stop”.
Rain in countries with drier climates can be stimulated by weather manipulation techniques like cloud seeding.
Cloud seeding involves manipulating existing clouds to try to produce more rain, for example in countries with a dry climate.
However there is no technology that allows humans to control hurricanes.
“There is no possibility using current knowledge and technology to use geoengineering to modify hurricanes,” Suzana Camargo from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University told the BBC.
Alligator warning as flood waters rise
Devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Milton could bring another danger to affected people – alligators.
A wildlife expert warned about the deadly creatures being carried miles by rushing floodwaters just hours before the storm made landfall.
Christopher Gillette, who runs an animal sanctuary in Putnam County, northern Florida, issued the warning on his Instagram account.
Sharing pictures of his Bellowing Acres sanctuary being prepped for Hurricane Milton, Mr Gillette urged Floridians to be vigilant
“There will be lots of disturbed animals on the move, they’re trying to survive the storm too,” he wrote.
Mr Gillette warned that alligators pose a particular threat because they are able to hold their breath for up to six hours at a time.
Urging people to show compassion, he warned that many animals will be “flooded out of their homes and seeking refuge in unusual places.”
He told people to leave snakes alone, adding, “Keep in mind the majority of venomous snake bites happen when people are trying to kill the snake, leave them be!”
Originally published as Hurricane Milton updates: At least 10 dead after monster storm
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