Hurricane Milton plows across Florida, leaving 10 dead

Hurricane Milton hit the southeast U.S. state of Florida overnight with strong winds, destructive tornadoes and heavy rain, leaving at least 10 dead and millions of people without power as of Thursday afternoon, reported Xinhua.

Milton made its landfall along the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm and weakened to Category 1 as it plowed quickly across central Florida.

St. Lucie County Administrator George Landry confirmed five fatalities as a result of tornadoes spawned by hurricane.

"This has been a tragic 24 hours," he said at a press conference.

"Numerous homes and structures across St. Lucie County, including the City of Port St. Lucie and unincorporated areas, suffered significant damage," said the county in an earlier news release.

"As Hurricane Milton makes its way into the Atlantic, St. Lucie County Emergency Management officials strongly encourage residents to stay off the roads and stay inside until it has been deemed safe to do so," said the release, adding that unnecessary traffic or bystanders will hinder response and recovery efforts.

Three people were confirmed died in Volusia County, including one person killed after a tree fell, according to NBC News.

In addition, two storm-related fatalities occurred in City of St. Petersburg, the news outlet reported.

Over 135 residents from the Great American Assisted Living facility in Tampa, the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough County, were rescued by responders, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X Thursday morning that over 3 million households were without power.

He noted that more than 50,000 linemen were in the state working to restore power as efficiently and safely as possible while law enforcement officials and first responders were engaged in rescue missions throughout impacted areas.

The Florida National Guard has activated over 6,500 service members for Hurricane Milton response operations, according to an update released by the governor's office.

U.S. President Joe Biden also wrote on X urging people impacted by Hurricane Milton to "stay inside and off the roads."

"Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions," he said, adding that "Help is on the way."

The U.S. National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center warned that there is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, where a storm surge warning remains in effect.

Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula through Thursday morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat. Damaging hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, will continue for a few more hours in east-central and northeastern Florida, according to the agency.

Milton is the fifth hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast so far in 2024, with three of them striking Florida.