Late yesterday evening, Wednesday, October 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, as a Category 3 storm, devastating residential districts and leaving more than three million homes and businesses without power. Although the storm has now been downgraded, strong winds and resultant flooding still pose a significant risk to life and property. With a series of tornadoes accompanying Milton, tragic deaths have occurred (the figure is not yet clear), and more than 70,000 Floridians are currently in overnight government shelters.
What to Expect
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update that the eye of the storm is approaching Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast, meaning it will soon be back over the ocean. The agency also reported that sustained winds of over 80 miles per hour are still prevalent.
Rescue teams, including Florida’s National Guard, will begin efforts to reach people stranded or in dire predicaments. As Hurricane Milton hit the Sarasota region, Governor Ron DeSantis posted that “First responders are staged and ready to go, as soon as weather conditions allow. Search and rescue efforts will be well underway to save lives before dawn, and they will continue for as long as it takes.”
Fox News reported, “Storm surge flooding is currently underway in Florida, with major flooding seen from Naples to Sarasota amid Hurricane Milton. Some areas have been hit with up to 10 feet of water surging in from the Gulf, according to Fox Weather, which noted that storm surge flooding becomes a concern for the Atlantic Coast as the storm moves across the Florida peninsula.”
Tornado Warnings
Authorities stated there were more than 100 tornado warnings near the path of Hurricane Milton, with “multiple fatalities” already reported. Erick Gill, a county spokesman said:
“I’ve worked here for 21 years. I’ve been through multiple hurricanes, tropical storms, including Frances and Jeanne 20 years ago, which impacted our area greatly and had multiple fatalities. And this is going to exceed those storms.”
DeSantis confirmed that at least 19 tornadoes touched the ground before Milton made landfall.
Prelude to Hurricane Milton
Republican Senator Rick Scott warned residents just ahead of Milton that they need to stay in place and stay safe. He said:
"You have no choice now, you have to hunker down. There's no place to go. You've got to keep yourself alive because nobody can come and save you right now. It's too dangerous.
"As soon as they can, all of our first responders will go see what they can do to save your life if you're in harm's way. But after that, you've got to continue to be careful. These trees might fall on you. You can't touch a downed power line. You got to know how to use a power saw, you got to know how to use a generator. You might [be] without water, sewer and electricity. So this is going to take the locals doing their job, you doing your job, the state doing its job, and the federal government doing its job."
As the storm passed through St. Petersburg, authorities shut off the water supply due to cracks in pipelines, meaning residents will have to rely on bottled water supplies until further notice. The city issued a “boil water notice” for all potable water used for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth.
The risk of flooding remains high, and the exact toll of Hurricane Milton will not be known until rescue efforts are well underway.
Liberty Nation News will keep you updated on further major developments.
