Hurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Florida on Wednesday night, reportedly killing at least four people and bringing further devastation to a state still reeling from the impact of another hurricane the week prior.
Milton hit Florida as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph, but was downgraded to a Category 1 storm as it made its way across the state. More than 3 million people were left without power.Ahead of the storm’s arrival, millions of people in the Tampa area were placed under evacuation orders.
The storm was originally predicted to be a Category 5 storm, but weakened significantly before landing. The worst storm surge came in at eight to 10 feet in Sarasota County.
Milton arrived just one week after Hurricane Helene, aCategory 4 storm, brought widespread destruction to Florida, with its death toll climbing to at least 230 people across several states in the South.
As of Thursday morning, a tropical storm warning was still in effect for parts of the east coast of Florida into South Carolina and a storm surge warning was in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Thursday morning that, while the extent of the damage was still unknown, Milton “was not the worst case scenario.”
Here are photos of the wreckage caused by Milton as it tore through Florida.
Marie Cook reacts to the damage to her home in the Binks Estates community after a tornado formed by Hurricane Milton touched down in Wellington, Fla, on Oct. 9, 2024. Bill Ingram—Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network/Reuters In this aerial view, a person walks through flood waters that inundated a neighborhood after Hurricane Milton came ashore on Oct. 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. Joe Raedle—Getty ImagesDamage to a mobile home in Harbor Lights Club, a mobile home park is shown on Long Bayou in St. Petersburg, Fla. after Hurricane Milton on Oct. 10, 2024. Tampa Bay Times—APDowned trees after Hurricane Milton made landfall in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Oct. 10, 2024.Tristan Wheelock—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesAustin Stolpe clears the mud from the floor of the Celtic Ray Public House restaurant/bar after it was inundated with flood waters when Hurricane Milton passed through the area on Oct. 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Fla. Joe Raedle—Getty ImagesMallory Tollett, 12, comforts her dog Maggie after a suspected tornado went through her family’s property in Port Salerno, Fla. on Oct. 9, 2024. Crystal Vander Weit—USA Today Network/ReutersA drone image shows a flooded street due to Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024.Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo—AFP/Getty ImagesResidents are rescued from their second story apartment complex in Clearwater, Fla. on Oct. 10, 2024.Bryan R. Smith—AFP/Getty ImagesRon Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks through windy and rainy conditions on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, 2024. Rebecca Blackwell—AP
