Hurricane Milton: 16 people killed by tornadoes and millions still without power
Floridians are still counting the cost of Hurricane Milton after thousands of businesses and homes were destroyed, ITV News Reporter Andy Dickenson explains
At least 16 people have died and millions remain without power after Hurricane Milton cut a path of destruction throughout Florida.
Of those killed, one person was hit by a falling tree.
At least five people died in St Lucie County on Florida's eastern coast after a country club was struck by multiple tornadoes, leaving homes destroyed.
The storm made landfall late on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120mph, whipping up at least 150 tornadoes across the state.
More than 2.6 million people across the state are still without power.
Even though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the hurricane was not “the worst-case scenario” on Thursday, he expects more casualties as rescue and relief efforts continue.
According to the governor, nearly 1,000 people have been rescued so far by thousands of personnel deployed across the state.
Among the dramatic rescues, a local news crew saved a single mother and her four children who were trapped in floodwaters for seven hours.
And Hillsborough County officers in Tampa found a 14-year-old boy floating on a piece of fence and pulled him onto a boat.
The county office also said in a post on X that more than 135 residents were helped to safety from an assisted living facility using boats.
US Coast Guard rescues a man clinging to an ice box off the Florida coast
Parts of Florida were hit with extreme rainfall, including Tampa, which saw up to 18 inches (45 centimetres) in areas of the city.
In some places, a month's worth of average rainfall fell in a number of hours.
Sarasota County on the coast suffered the worst of the storm surge, which rose to between eight and ten feet high (around three metres).
Flooding remains a significant risk in some areas like Valrico near Tampa, where it is described as "widespread"
Milton was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it moved away from Florida.
Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in the city of St Petersburg, had its roof ripped to shreds by Milton.
At least one crane in the city collapsed due to Milton's high winds at the site of a high-rise construction site.
In the wake of the destruction caused by the storm, Biden issued a warning on Thursday to those trying to exploit its victims.
He said: "To anyone who seeks to take advantage of our fellow American's desperation - whether you're a company engaging in price gouging or a citizen trying to scam your neighbours, we will go after you and we will hold you accountable.”
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Florida theme parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld plan to reopen on Friday after an assessment of the storm's damage.
Florida's busiest airport, Orlando International Airport, is scheduled to resume all flights on Friday after suffering minor damage.
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