A strong Category 3 hurricane named Milton hit land on Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing a lot of damage and chaos. The storm’s fury caused heavy rain, tornadoes that killed people, and widespread power blackouts that left millions of people without power.
At 8:30 p.m. on October 9, Hurricane Milton hit Siesta Key in Sarasota County with winds of more than 120 miles per hour. More than 1.1 million homes and companies in Sarasota, Manatee, and Hardee counties lost power because of the storm.
As the storm went on, the government told people to “shelter in place and remain vigilant!” The Florida Division of Emergency Management warned of ongoing dangers while search and rescue teams went through streets that were full of broken glass.
Several tornadoes tore through towns in St. Lucie County, killing many and damaging a lot of property. There were “multiple fatalities” at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, according to Sheriff Keith Pearson. The exact number of deaths is still unknown.
First responders worked hard to find survivors. Director Kevin Guthrie said that 125 homes across the state were destroyed, mostly in senior mobile home communities. Governor Ron DeSantis said that there were 116 tornado alerts and 19 confirmed touchdowns.
The storm dumped an unheard-of amount of rain on the Tampa Bay area. In just three hours, St. Petersburg got almost nine inches of rain, which only happens once every thousand years.
The National Hurricane Center declared a flash flood emergency for west-central Florida on October 10. The east coast was also hit by strong winds. Storms hit St. Petersburg with steady winds of 48 miles per hour and gusts of 79 miles per hour.
Task forces and rescue teams were sent to the affected areas by state and local governments as part of a full emergency reaction. Sheriff Pearson said over and over, “Our No. 1 goal is life safety,” as relief efforts went on.
Hurricane Milton is getting weaker, but its effects are still very bad. As Florida deals with the effects of the storm, people are being asked to stay aware and follow official instructions. We still don’t know how bad the damage is, but one thing is for sure: Hurricane Milton will never be forgotten in the Sunshine State.
