At least nine people dead in Florida from Hurricane Milton
At least nine people have died from Hurricane Milton in Florida.
On Wednesday, officials in St. Lucie county reported at least four deaths from the Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior community in Fort Pierce.
Meanwhile, two deaths have been confirmed in St. Petersburg, with police chief Anthony Holloway saying on Thursday that one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park.”
In Volusia county, sheriff Michael J Chitwood confirmed that three people died. including one person who was killed after a tree fell on them, NBC reports.
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Richard Luscombe
The core of Milton passed into the Atlantic many hours ago, but substantial danger remains to residents of Florida, Georgia and into the Carolinas, Michael Brennan, the director of the National Hurricane Center, is warning.
He’s just delivered what could be the NHC’s final video briefing on the storm, which you can watch here on YouTube.
Milton, he says, is more than 135 miles from the coast of Cape Canaveral and moving away at 20mph. But he says tropical storm force winds and a significant storm surge up to 5ft can be expected in many areas well into the afternoon:
We still have on the backside of Milton strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge still affecting portions of the east coast of Florida, with tropical storm conditions and storm surge affecting portions of the Georgia coast, and even some strong winds up into portions of the South Carolina coast.
Look at the size of the wind field of Milton, (it’s) still very large. These tropical storm conditions are going to be most likely in gusts, and these winds will gradually subside over the next few hours.
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At least nine people dead in Florida from Hurricane Milton
At least nine people have died from Hurricane Milton in Florida.
On Wednesday, officials in St. Lucie county reported at least four deaths from the Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior community in Fort Pierce.
Meanwhile, two deaths have been confirmed in St. Petersburg, with police chief Anthony Holloway saying on Thursday that one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park.”
In Volusia county, sheriff Michael J Chitwood confirmed that three people died. including one person who was killed after a tree fell on them, NBC reports.
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Two deaths confirmed in St Petersburg, Florida
City officials in St Petersburg, Florida have confirmed two deaths from Hurricane Milton.
During a press briefing on Thursday morning, St Petersburg police chief Anthony Hollway said that one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park.” Officials are currently awaiting the cause of death to be determined by the medical examiner.
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Updated at 11.55 EDT
Twenty-two people have been rescued so far from rising water from the Anclote River in Florida, the Pasco sheriff’s office said on Thursday morning.
Pictures posted online showed rescuers treading in knee-deep water as others navigated the flooded streets via rescue boats.
Members of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, including Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco County Fire Rescue and the National Guard are participating in ongoing water rescues due to flooding from the Anclote River in the area of Mitchell Blvd and Little Rd. Efforts are ongoing and… pic.twitter.com/LAHTINuiTM
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) October 10, 2024
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Updated at 11.56 EDT
135 people rescued from assisted living facility in Tampa
135 people have been rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa, Florida amid Hurricane Milton.
In a video posted onto Facebook on Thursday morning, Hillborough county’s sheriff, Chad Chronister, said that 135 people, including 107 elderly individuals, have been rescued via amphibious assets and marine units from the Great American Assisted Living Community.
“To see this unprecedented flooding, I can only imagine how scary it was,” Chronister said.
“We’re thankful to be able to get all of these people to safety,” the sheriff’s office added.
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Updated at 11.13 EDT
Biden urges people impacted by Milton to stay inside and off the roads
Joe Biden has issued a warning to Florida residents who have been impacted by Hurricane Milton.
On Thursday, Biden wrote on X:
“To everyone impacted by Hurricane Milton: I urge you stay inside and off the roads. Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions. Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it’s safe to go out.”
To everyone impacted by Hurricane Milton: I urge you stay inside and off the roads.
Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions.
Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it’s safe to go out.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 10, 2024
Ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Wednesday, Biden approved emergency declaration requests from Florida and the Seminole tribe of the state.
Biden also instructed the defense department to pre-position search and rescue teams, helicopters and high-water vehicles as close to the storm as possible to conduct life-saving missions.
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Updated at 11.16 EDT
DeSantis says power restored to hundreds of thousands of Florida homes
Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said as of 6am on Thursday, 635,996 accounts out of the 3 million households without power have been restored.
DeSantis added that more than 50,000 linemen are in Florida at the moment working to restore power and warned residents to be cautious of hazards such as downed power lines.
The governor also cautioned citizens to operate generators at a safe distance from their homes.
Search and rescue operations across multiple agencies remain underway.
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota County last night and moved quickly across central Florida, producing significant flooding, high winds, and destructive tornadoes.
Search and rescue operations began overnight as soon as the storm passed and are ongoing. National Guard,… pic.twitter.com/jpxB8FMOSh
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 10, 2024
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Updated at 10.54 EDT
Here is video released by Tampa police of the evacuation of a home that was occupied by 15 people, including multiple children, when a tree crashed into it:
The residents were taken to a shelter less than two miles away, police said, adding that an officer stayed behind to ensure the main power to the home was turned off before also leaving.
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Pinellas county says access restored
Pinellas county has announced that as of 8:45am on Thursday, access to the county, including the barrier islands, is now open.
This comes after access to the county was closed as officials were assessing the damage.
Though access to the county from outside counties is now open, county officials have urged people to stay off the roads.
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Updated at 11.38 EDT
Florida airports remain closed as crews assess hurricane damage
Tampa International Airport also remains closed to the public as of Thursday morning as crews continue to assess the damage post-Hurricane.
“Officials plan to announce a reopening plan later on Thursday after a thorough inspection of the 3,300-acre campus and its buildings has been completed,” airport officials said.
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Updated at 10.56 EDT
Orlando International Airport remains closed on Thursday morning, as emergency crews assess the damage.
In a post on X, the airport said that emergency crews remained onsite overnight, and that damage assessment was starting to take place.
“Once information becomes available about a specific time that commercial operations will resume, we’ll be sure to post about it,” the airport said.
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Updated at 10.56 EDT
In its most recent update, the National Weather Service stated that the center of Hurricane Milton was pulling away from the east coast of Florida and will pass to the north of the Bahamas later today.
While the storm surge warning along Florida’s west coast has been discontinued, storm surge warnings are still in effect for areas of the state’s east coast, up through Georgia’s Altamaha Sound.
A hurricane warning is also in effect for Florida’s east coast from Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia county Line.
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Updated at 10.57 EDT
Just over 3.3 million Florida residents are without power as of 9:30am on Thursday, according to poweroutage.us.
This comes as counties along the east and west coast of Florida have reported downed trees, damaged roads and downed power lines on Thursday morning.
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Updated at 10.58 EDT
DeSantis says ‘too soon to tell’ how many people died in hurricane
Florida officials said on Thursday that search and rescue efforts were ongoing.
So far this morning, officials have reported over 42 rescues in several counties.
As of Thursday morning the governor, Ron DeSantis, said that “it was too soon to tell” how many people had died in the storm.
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Updated at 10.59 EDT
The Hillsborough county sheriff’s Office posted photos on Thursday morning of the flooding and damage in the county caused by the Hurricane.
Severe flooding and damage have made conditions near Hillsborough Ave and Dale Mabry in Tampa unsafe for driving. For your safety and the safety of your loved ones, please stay home. pic.twitter.com/3k5oXLsWSx
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 10, 2024
The county officials have urged residents to stay home as the roads are “dangerous with debris and downed lines.”
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Updated at 10.59 EDT
Ron DeSantis said on Thursday morning that over 80,000 people stayed in shelters on Wednesday night as the Hurricane Milton hit the state.
The Florida governor said that they are continuing to assess the damage across the state, and that they will “better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses”.
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Updated at 10.59 EDT
At a news conference on Thursday morning, Ron DeSantis said that the storm brought “much destruction and damage” to parts of the state.
But the Florida governor said that although the storm was significant, “thankfully it was not the worst case scenario.”
“The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene” he added.
As of Thursday morning, DeSantis said that it appeared as though Sarasota county experienced the most significant storm surge, likely between eight and 10ft, compared to 15 to 20 ft in Taylor county during Helene.
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Updated at 11.00 EDT
At least four people were killed in at least two confirmed tornadoes in St Lucie county, officials say
At least four people were killed in St Lucie county on Wednesday, after several tornadoes ripped through the community, officials said.
A spokesperson for St Lucie county, located on the east coast of Florida, told WQCS that the four fatalities were reported in Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior community in Fort Pierce from the tornadoes.
In a press release from the county from Thursday morning, published by WQCS, officials said that first responders and public works/utility crews were conducting response and recovery efforts caused by two confirmed tornadoes that touched down prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, Oct. 9 starting around 4:30 p.m.
“The St Lucie Medical Examiner has confirmed four fatalities as a result of these tornadoes” the statement reads.
Officials added that numerous homes and structures across St Lucie County, including the City of Port St Lucie and unincorporated areas, suffered significant damage.
And as of Thursday morning, more than 64,000 customers were without power in St Lucie County.
PSLPD continues to operate on 13-hour emergency shifts as our officers assess the damage from yesterday’s tornadoes and the overnight landfall of Hurricane Milton.
We urge our residents to stay indoors and off the roadways unless absolutely necessary as we are still… pic.twitter.com/ykobZTU7VG
— Port St. Lucie PD (@PSLPolice) October 10, 2024
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Updated at 11.01 EDT
