Hurricane Milton: Sinkholes swallow homes as flood keeps rising

Gaping sinkholes are swallowing roads, cars and homes in the wake of Hurricane Milton, as residents have been warned floodwaters are not subsiding.

US President Joe Biden will travel to Florida to survey the damage left behind by Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 17 people and caused an estimated $74 billion in damage.

Even as the storm’s worst-case scenario did not eventuate, 2.9 million homes remained without power and lingering flood waters continued to pose life-threatening danger.

“There’s places where water is continuing to rise,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned, saying 1,600 people had been rescued from the floodwaters.

Giant sinkholes began emerging across the hardest-hit areas, swallowing up roads, sidewalks, and even homes and vehicles.

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.

Hurricane sinkholes

Amid the destruction, a baby boy was born in a “miracle” birth. Kenzie Lewellen, 22, was not due for another week when she went into labour while trying to stop the storm surge flooding her home. They made it to hospital in time for an emergency C-section.

Stories of survival emerged in the days after the hurricane made landfall as a downgraded Category 3 storm, including 135 elderly people who were trapped when their aged care home was flooded and a fisherman who survived losing his boat 50km offshore by clinging to an Esky.

#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

Mr 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: Sinkholes swallow homes as flood keeps rising