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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maya Yang (now); Fran Lawther, Anna Betts, Martin Belam, Cait Kelly and Cecilia Nowell (earlier)

Hurricane Milton: Biden says ‘outright lies’ risk lives as Florida deals with aftermath of storm – as it happened

Hurricane Hurricane Milton Florida Reed Timmer CNN

Summary

Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:

  • Joe Biden closed his address about Hurricane Milton with a dig at Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who has spread lies and misinformation about federal disaster response. Asked if he had spoken to Trump, who has falsely claimed storm victims received only $750 in federal aid, and that disaster relief funds were redirected to migrants, Biden replied: “Are you kidding me?… Mr President Trump, former President Trump, get a life man. Help these people.”

  • Tampa international airport has announced plans to reopen on Friday at 8am following a three-day suspension due to Hurricane Helene. In a notice released on Thursday, the airport said that it remains closed to the public while cleanup and repairs continue.

  • The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hurricane Milton to a post-tropical cyclone on Thursday. The NHC warned that storm conditions and storm surges are still occurring over portions of the US’s southeastern coast.

  • Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told the White House briefing that he understands that at least 10 people lost their lives as a result of tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton. The reported deaths occurred in St Lucie county, St Petersburg and Volusia county.

  • Thirty-five people have been rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa, Florida amid Hurricane Milton. In a video posted onto Facebook on Thursday morning, Hillsborough county’s sheriff, Chad Chronister, said that 135 people, including 107 elderly individuals, have been rescued via amphibious assets and marine units from the Great American Assisted Living Community.

  • Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said as of 6am on Thursday, 635,996 accounts out of the 3m households without power have been restored. DeSantis added that more than 50,000 linemen are in Florida at the moment working to restore power and warned residents to be cautious of hazards such as downed power lines.

  • Former football player Tom Brady has made a donation of $100,000 to help Floridians get essentials such as food, water and first aid following Hurricane Milton. In a statement on Thursday, Brady said: “Keep those impacted by these storms in your prayers, look out for your neighbors and continue to help out anyway you’re able. Stay safe and stay strong, Florida.”

Rescue shelters across the US have provided housing for animals that were evacuated before Hurricane Milton struck Florida.

The Guardian’s Erum Salam reports:

Hurricane Milton, the category 3 storm that battered many parts of Florida, displaced not only residents but also already vulnerable animals in shelters.

Shelters in the state, particularly in cities on the west coast such as Tampa, Sarasota and others, had to scramble to figure out where to relocate their animals ahead of this week’s storm. Luckily, rescue shelters in other parts of the country have joined in the effort to help those down south.

Sharon Hawa, an emergency services manager at Best Friends, a coalition of thousands of public and private shelters and rescue groups, said the need for animal adoptions and fostering is “critical” right now.

“We can make more space for more of these animals to come. Because we don’t know what the situation looks like right now on the ground, if any of the shelter facilities where these animals originated from are still standing and whether they’re going to be operational moving forward,” she said.

For the full story, click here:

Tampa international airport to reopen Friday morning

Tampa international airport has announced plans to reopen on Friday at 8am following a three-day suspension due to Hurricane Helene.

In a notice released on Thursday, the airport said that it remains closed to the public while cleanup and repairs continue.

It added:

“Some encouraging findings during the assessments include:

  • Roadways are clear and parking garages are open and in good shape

  • The FAA reports the air traffic control tower is ready for full operations

  • The City of Tampa confirmed the Airport is not experiencing wastewater issues

  • The Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting station had no significant damage.

Among some challenges the Airport is currently addressing:

  • TPA’s fuel depot lost power but is running on generator power while TECO is onsite assisting with permanent repairs.

  • Six boarding bridges that move passengers from the Airsides to aircraft were damaged by high winds.

  • Crews are still clearing debris across the campus and repairing leaks in parts of the Main Terminal and some gate hold areas.

  • General Aviation fixed-base operator, Signature, has some significant structural damage, though no aircraft damage has been reported.”

Updated

Here are some images coming through the newswires from Florida, where residents across the state are reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton:

Updated

Former football player Tom Brady has made a donation of $100,000 to help Floridians get essentials such as food, water and first aid following Hurricane Milton.

In a statement on Thursday, Brady said: “Keep those impacted by these storms in your prayers, look out for your neighbors and continue to help out anyway you’re able. Stay safe and stay strong, Florida.”

Updated

The city of Clearwater, Florida has issued a guide to homeowners on how to organize the storm debris left outside their homes by Hurricane Milton.

According to the guide, residents should organize the debris into three piles at the curb: large appliances, construction debris and yard waste.

City officials in Pasco county, Florida announced that there will be two sandbag stations open 24/7 to protect low-lying properties from potential flooding.

The locations are Magnolia Valley Golf Course: 7223 Massachusetts Avenue as well as Pasco Public Works C-Barn: 30908 Warder Road.

Updated

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, is currently holding a press conference in Sarasota following Hurricane Milton.

Giving several warnings to residents, DeSantis said:

“Please remember, as you survey damage and you clean up, be cautious of any downed power lines. They can be deadly. Do not touch them, and stay away from any debris that may be tangled within the power lines…

Be careful when you use ladders. We always have injuries and sometimes even fatalities based on the use of ladders. We’ve got a lot of elderly residents. We have different groups that will be in Florida that will help you with some of these things, these charity groups, these church groups, they go in to help people with their homes and help clean up debris so utilize that. Don’t put yourself at risk…

If you operate a generator, do not operate your generator inside your home. It must be operated outside your home.”

Updated

Drone footage taken on Thursday morning shows the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in the city of Venice, Florida:

Biden tells Trump 'Get a life man. Help these people', adding 'outright lies' risk lives

Joe Biden closed his address about Hurricane Milton with a dig at Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who has spread lies and misinformation about federal disaster response.

Asked if he had spoken to Trump, who has falsely claimed storm victims received only $750 in federal aid, and that disaster relief funds were redirected to migrants, Biden replied: “Are you kidding me?”

Walking from the podium, Biden addressed the former president directly:

Mr President Trump, former President Trump, get a life man. Help these people.

During his remarks, Biden again addressed the “outright lies” spread by a number of Republicans:

Those who engage in such lies are undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work. These lies are also harmful to those who most need help. Lives are on the line. People are in desperate situations. Have the decency to tell them the truth.

To all the people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, despite the misinformation and lies, the truth is we’re providing the resources needed to rescue, recover and rebuild.

Read more:

Updated

Joe Biden said he was certain that early warnings about the size and strength of Hurricane Milton, and evacuation orders that covered millions of people along Florida’s heavily populated Gulf coast, had saved lives:

It’s too early to know the full account of the damage, but we know lifesaving measures did make a difference. More than 80,000 people followed orders to safely shelter last night, and we’ve had search and rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning.

There’s still very dangerous conditions in the state. People should wait to be given all clear by their leaders before they go out. We know from previous hurricanes that it’s often the case the more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself.

He said he and Kamala Harris were in near constant contact with Fema’s director, Deanne Criswell, as well as the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, who has “provided a range of capabilities” to Florida and other states affected by Hurricane Helene”:

I know recovery and rebuilding projects can take a long and difficult time, but long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you, and you have to pick up the pieces still, I want you to know we’ll do everything in our power to help you to the pieces back together and get all that you need.

Updated

Joe Biden to ensure state and local officials 'have everything they need'

Joe Biden has just been speaking at the White House about the federal response to Hurricane Milton in Florida, and says he’s told state and local officials his administration will ensure “they have everything they need”.

The president said he had spoken with Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, and about 15 mayors and other elected officials. Thousands of federal personnel, including hundreds from the US coast guard, have been sent to Florida, he says, and efforts continue in other states where Hurricane Helene struck less than two weeks ago:

We focused on what the American military can do like no one else can [to] provide emergency support for communities in need [as] required by the governors in the affected states.

This is a whole of government effort. It also includes the department of energy, department of transportation, department of health and human services, and the department of housing and urban development, which is providing mortgage relief for impacted homeowners.

He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) would open disaster recovery centers across the impacted areas “right away” for affected people to get support they needed.

Updated

Hurricane Milton downgraded to post-tropical cyclone

The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hurricane Milton to a post-tropical cyclone on Thursday.

In its 2pm ET public advisory, the NHC said:

“At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Milton was located near latitude 29.3 North, longitude 77.5 West. Milton is moving toward the east-northeast near 21 mph (33 km/h). A turn toward the east is expected later today, with that motion forecast to continue over the western Atlantic for the next few days. On the forecast track, the center of Milton will continue to move away from the east coast of Florida and pass north of the northwestern Bahamas this afternoon.”

The NHS warned that storm conditions and storm surges are still occurring over portions of the US’s southeastern coast.

Mayorkas condemns those spreading false claims as hurting those who need help the most

Alejandro Mayorkas was also asked about the impact hurricane misinformation and conspiracy theories have on people on the ground as well as first responders.

The homeland security secretary said: “The false info that is being spread deliberately does have a real-life impact on survivors and it is also demoralising for those heroic individuals who are risking their lives in the service of others.

“There is false information that federal employees who are there to help people will actually take their land and what we have seen is people reticent, reluctant, to access the relief to which they are entitled, that will help them because of the fear that that false information has instilled in them.”

Updated

Milton has became a hurricane-force extratropical low, the National Hurricane Center said on Thursday.

“Tropical storm conditions and storm surge still occurring over portions of the south-eastern US coast,” the Miami-based forecaster said.

Updated

Hurricane Milton death toll rises to at least 10 people

Mayorkas also told the White House briefing that he understands that at least 10 people lost their lives as a result of tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton.

In St Lucie county on Florida’s east coast, a spate of tornados killed five people, including at least two in the senior-living Spanish Lakes Communities, county spokesperson Erick Gill said. Search-and-rescue teams there are combing through hard-hit areas, including a mobile-home park.

Two deaths were also confirmed earlier on Thursday in St Petersburg, with police chief Anthony Holloway saying one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park”.

In Volusia county, sheriff Michael J Chitwood confirmed that three people died. including one person who was killed after a tree fell on them, NBC reports.

Updated

Mayorkas says no resources will be diverted from Helene to help those impacted by Milton – stressing that enough resources are available for the aid and recovery efforts needed after both hurricanes.

But Mayorkas did urge Congress to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency as needed. “We will need additional funds, and we implore Congress, when it returns to, in fact, fund Fema as is needed,” Mayorkas told reporters during a virtual briefing at the White House.

Updated

Mayorkas says 'we will not leave until work is done' to support areas hit by Milton and Helene

Mayorkas echoed Biden, saying:

“Every available resource is being deployed as fast as possible to impacted communities and we will not leave until the work is done.

“The same is true for communities impacted by Helene here in North Carolina. President Biden and VP Harris were here last week, as was I, and we will continue to support impacted communities and first responders on the ground.”

He added that more than 10,000 federal staff are on the ground supporting Helene and Milton response efforts.

Over 4,000 people have been rescued since Helene hit last week. Power and cell phone service have been restored across large swaths of impacted areas.

Millions of meals and millions of litres of clean water have been distributed, Mayorkas added.

Mayorkas praised first responders for doing “truly heroic work in extremely difficult circumstances”.

Updated

Mayorkas reiterated that Joe Biden had approved emergency declarations for Florida days before the storm made landfall.

He said officials had prepositioned supplies, including food and water, there were 20 helicopters, 60 DoD highwater vehicles with ladders, 1,300 US Coast Guard personnel and 1,400 urban search and rescue personnel helping with rescue efforts after the storm.

Hundreds of ambulances were at the ready to transport people injured in the storm to hospitals.

Updated

Homeland security briefs on Hurricane Milton

Alejandro Mayorkas is giving an update on the response to Hurricane Milton.

The homeland security secretary said “lives have been lost” and that the storm left significant water and wind damage, with at least 27 tornado touchdowns and millions still without power

Mayorkas told the White House briefing: “Our hearts break for the Floridians who have lost so much.”

He added: “Right now search and rescue is our highest priority. We’re praying for those unaccounted … praying for their safe return.”

He urged people in Florida to keep following instructions from local officials, saying downed power lines, contaminated drinking water and debris continued to pose danger to life.

Updated

Hurricane Milton pummeled Florida overnight – ripping roofs off buildings, downing trees and causing widespread flooding.

Our picture editors have pulled together images of the devastating destruction and how people are beginning to deal with the aftermath of the horrific storm:

Volusia county has extended its countywide curfew through to 5am on Friday.

The curfew is set to take effect tonight at 9pm but does not apply to law enforcement, employees traveling for work and all emergency workers.

Here are some images coming through the newswires from Florida where search and rescue operations are underway following Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Wednesday night:

Updated

The core of Milton passed into the Atlantic many hours ago, but substantial danger remains to residents of Florida, Georgia and into the Carolinas, Michael Brennan, the director of the National Hurricane Center, is warning.

He’s just delivered what could be the NHC’s final video briefing on the storm, which you can watch here on YouTube.

Milton, he says, is more than 135 miles from the coast of Cape Canaveral and moving away at 20mph. But he says tropical storm force winds and a significant storm surge up to 5ft can be expected in many areas well into the afternoon:

We still have on the backside of Milton strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge still affecting portions of the east coast of Florida, with tropical storm conditions and storm surge affecting portions of the Georgia coast, and even some strong winds up into portions of the South Carolina coast.

Look at the size of the wind field of Milton, [it’s] still very large. These tropical storm conditions are going to be most likely in gusts, and these winds will gradually subside over the next few hours.

At least nine people dead in Florida from Hurricane Milton

At least nine people have died from Hurricane Milton in Florida.

On Wednesday, officials in St Lucie county reported at least four deaths from the Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior community in Fort Pierce.

Meanwhile, two deaths have been confirmed in St Petersburg, with police chief Anthony Holloway saying on Thursday that one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park”.

In Volusia county, the sheriff, Michael J Chitwood, confirmed that three people died. including one person who was killed after a tree fell on them, NBC reports.

Updated

Two deaths confirmed in St Petersburg, Florida

City officials in St Petersburg, Florida have confirmed two deaths from Hurricane Milton.

During a press briefing on Thursday morning, St Petersburg police chief Anthony Hollway said that one was a medical death and the other was “someone that was found in a park.” Officials are currently awaiting the cause of death to be determined by the medical examiner.

Updated

Twenty-two people have been rescued so far from rising water from the Anclote River in Florida, the Pasco sheriff’s office said on Thursday morning.

Pictures posted online showed rescuers treading in knee-deep water as others navigated the flooded streets via rescue boats.

Updated

135 people rescued from assisted living facility in Tampa

135 people have been rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa, Florida amid Hurricane Milton.

In a video posted onto Facebook on Thursday morning, Hillborough county’s sheriff, Chad Chronister, said that 135 people, including 107 elderly individuals, have been rescued via amphibious assets and marine units from the Great American Assisted Living Community.

“To see this unprecedented flooding, I can only imagine how scary it was,” Chronister said.

“We’re thankful to be able to get all of these people to safety,” the sheriff’s office added.

Updated

Biden urges people impacted by Milton to stay inside and off the roads

Joe Biden has issued a warning to Florida residents who have been impacted by Hurricane Milton.

On Thursday, Biden wrote on X:

“To everyone impacted by Hurricane Milton: I urge you stay inside and off the roads. Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions. Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it’s safe to go out.”

Ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Wednesday, Biden approved emergency declaration requests from Florida and the Seminole tribe of the state.

Biden also instructed the defense department to pre-position search and rescue teams, helicopters and high-water vehicles as close to the storm as possible to conduct life-saving missions.

Updated

DeSantis says power restored to hundreds of thousands of Florida homes

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said as of 6am on Thursday, 635,996 accounts out of the 3 million households without power have been restored.

DeSantis added that more than 50,000 linemen are in Florida at the moment working to restore power and warned residents to be cautious of hazards such as downed power lines.

The governor also cautioned citizens to operate generators at a safe distance from their homes.

Search and rescue operations across multiple agencies remain underway.

Updated

Here is video released by Tampa police of the evacuation of a home that was occupied by 15 people, including multiple children, when a tree crashed into it:

The residents were taken to a shelter less than two miles away, police said, adding that an officer stayed behind to ensure the main power to the home was turned off before also leaving.

Pinellas county says access restored

Pinellas county has announced that as of 8:45am on Thursday, access to the county, including the barrier islands, is now open.

This comes after access to the county was closed as officials were assessing the damage.

Though access to the county from outside counties is now open, county officials have urged people to stay off the roads.

Updated

Florida airports remain closed as crews assess hurricane damage

Tampa International Airport also remains closed to the public as of Thursday morning as crews continue to assess the damage post-Hurricane.

“Officials plan to announce a reopening plan later on Thursday after a thorough inspection of the 3,300-acre campus and its buildings has been completed,” airport officials said.

Updated

Orlando International Airport remains closed on Thursday morning, as emergency crews assess the damage.

In a post on X, the airport said that emergency crews remained onsite overnight, and that damage assessment was starting to take place.

“Once information becomes available about a specific time that commercial operations will resume, we’ll be sure to post about it,” the airport said.

Updated

In its most recent update, the National Weather Service stated that the center of Hurricane Milton was pulling away from the east coast of Florida and will pass to the north of the Bahamas later today.

While the storm surge warning along Florida’s west coast has been discontinued, storm surge warnings are still in effect for areas of the state’s east coast, up through Georgia’s Altamaha Sound.

A hurricane warning is also in effect for Florida’s east coast from Sebastian Inlet to the Flagler/Volusia county Line.

Updated

Just over 3.3 million Florida residents are without power as of 9:30am on Thursday, according to poweroutage.us.

This comes as counties along the east and west coast of Florida have reported downed trees, damaged roads and downed power lines on Thursday morning.

Updated

DeSantis says 'too soon to tell' how many people died in hurricane

Florida officials said on Thursday that search and rescue efforts were ongoing.

So far this morning, officials have reported over 42 rescues in several counties.

As of Thursday morning the governor, Ron DeSantis, said that “it was too soon to tell” how many people had died in the storm.

Updated

The Hillsborough county sheriff’s Office posted photos on Thursday morning of the flooding and damage in the county caused by the Hurricane.

The county officials have urged residents to stay home as the roads are “dangerous with debris and downed lines.”

Updated

Ron DeSantis said on Thursday morning that over 80,000 people stayed in shelters on Wednesday night as the Hurricane Milton hit the state.

The Florida governor said that they are continuing to assess the damage across the state, and that they will “better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses”.

Updated

At a news conference on Thursday morning, Ron DeSantis said that the storm brought “much destruction and damage” to parts of the state.

But the Florida governor said that although the storm was significant, “thankfully it was not the worst case scenario.”

“The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene” he added.

As of Thursday morning, DeSantis said that it appeared as though Sarasota county experienced the most significant storm surge, likely between eight and 10ft, compared to 15 to 20 ft in Taylor county during Helene.

Updated

At least four people were killed in at least two confirmed tornadoes in St Lucie county, officials say

At least four people were killed in St Lucie county on Wednesday, after several tornadoes ripped through the community, officials said.

A spokesperson for St Lucie county, located on the east coast of Florida, told WQCS that the four fatalities were reported in Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior community in Fort Pierce from the tornadoes.

In a press release from the county from Thursday morning, published by WQCS, officials said that first responders and public works/utility crews were conducting response and recovery efforts caused by two confirmed tornadoes that touched down prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, Oct. 9 starting around 4:30 p.m.

“The St Lucie Medical Examiner has confirmed four fatalities as a result of these tornadoes” the statement reads.

Officials added that numerous homes and structures across St Lucie County, including the City of Port St Lucie and unincorporated areas, suffered significant damage.

And as of Thursday morning, more than 64,000 customers were without power in St Lucie County.

Updated

The Sarasota police department said this morning that they were receiving initial reports from their ‘first-in’ emergency crews of downed power lines and trees in roadways.

“We urge residents and business owners to stay off the roads and give our emergency and utility crews time to assess conditions and safety,” the department said. “The storm may have passed, but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning.”

Officials have also said that there are multiple water main breaks in the City of Sarasota and are urging residents to conserve water usage until repairs can be made.

Updated

In Pinellas county, on the west coast of Florida, rescue efforts are continuing on Thursday morning as parts of the county continue to experience severe flooding, officials there said.

The sheriff’s office in Pinellas county said on Thursday morning that – effective immediately – all access points to Pinellas county are closed until further notice as officials begin assessing damage.

County officials said extensive damage in certain parts of the county, including downed trees, downed power infrastructure, and flooding, make the roadways extremely dangerous.

On top of that, power is out in 60% of the county, officials said, and there is no potable water or sewer in the City of St Petersburg, Gulfport and Lealman.

“We’re asking residents to continue to shelter in place and stay off the roadways,” the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office said. “If you left the county, do not return until the county is reopened.”

Updated

The City of Tarpon Springs, on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is assessing the damage from the storm this morning and, so far, has reported nearly 150 hazardous conditions in and around the roadways.

On Thursday morning, city officials said the hazardous conditions included downed power lines, low-hanging power lines, downed trees, inoperable traffic signals, downed stop signs and street signs, and other roadway obstructions.

Officials urged residents not to venture out of their homes and to restrict water usage to essential use only to help protect the infrastructure.

The National Hurricane Center just announced that as of 8am ET this morning, the storm surge warning along Florida’s west coast has been discontinued.

But, the center said there was still a danger of life-threatening storm surge from Hurricane Milton along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, where a Storm Surge Warning remains in effect.

Updated

In Venice, Florida, a city on Florida’s Gulf Coast, teams are working on clearing roads this morning, and officials there have reported flooded streets, tree debris and downed power lines throughout the city.

The city has also reported widespread power and cellular outages.

City officials have urged residents to stay off the roadways, as the “roads are dangerous and all dangers are certainly not yet identified.” The officials also said that traffic lights were out throughout the city.

The video below shows scenes from Venice as the cleanup began.

Updated

My colleagues at Guardian sport report

The home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays suffered major damage as Hurricane Milton tore through Florida on Wednesday night.

According to WFTS-TV in Tampa, there were no reported injuries at the site. The stadium was being used as a shelter for first responders in the buildup to the storm. On Tuesday, rows of cots sat atop the Rays’ artificial turf for use by emergency personnel but the workers were moved on Wednesday before the storm hit.

Tropicana Field’s roof was designed to withstand wind of up to 115mph, according to the Rays.

Updated

Tampa police officers rescued 15 people from a one-story home that was damaged when a tree fell as Hurricane Milton was passing through, Associated Press reports.

“The swift actions taken by these officers during a break in the storm bands provided this family with a sense of safety in a time of fear and uncertainty,” Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw said. The residents were taken to a nearby shelter.

A Florida police officer has reported finding a dog tied up by the side of a road in Tampa before Hurricane Milton made landfall. The dog has been rescued and taken to a vet where it was given a clean bill of health.

Updated

Damian Carrington is an environment editor at the Guardian

How the climate crisis makes hurricanes worse has been summed up this morning by Prof Richard Allan, at the University of Reading, UK, who said:

Warming of climate is increasing the damage wrought by tropical cyclones like Hurricane Milton. The fiercest tropical cyclones are becoming more frequent as they tap into more copious energy supplied by hotter oceans.

These can whip up greater storm surges that are compounded by rising sea levels and greater volumes of rainfall fuelled by the warmer, moister atmosphere, leading to more devastating and widespread flooding.

It’s only by taking action to deliver massive and rapid cuts in our global emissions of greenhouse gases that we can limit the growing severity of extreme weather events.”

Dr Karsten Haustein, at Leipzig University, Germany, adds that Hurricane Milton was the second strongest on record in terms of “explosiveness” – the pressure dropped by 77 millibars in 24 hours, and Milton was the fifth strongest in terms of minimum core pressure – 897mb. Lower core pressures mean bigger differences with the surrounding area and so stronger hurricanes.

Updated

Summary

It is approaching 7.30am in Florida. Here are the headlines …

  • A weakening but still tremendously powerful Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night as a category 3, leaving more than 3.1m homes without power, while bringing “catastrophic” winds likely to cause significant property damage. Tampa Electric president and CEO Archie Collins has told CNN the company is dealing with an “unprecedented number of our customers who are without power”.

  • Milton has now made its transit across Florida, exiting on the east coast, leaving behind a trail of damage in which it is known that people have been killed. The US National Hurricane Center warned Milton was still producing “hurricane force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida”.

  • The Hillsborough county sheriff’s office has said that first responder teams are “out cutting trees, trying to open up some of the roadways” and that people should remain indoors. The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, reminded residents that “clear skies do not equate to no hazards”, asking people to “Avoid damaged buildings, stay away from any downed power lines, and do not walk or drive through flood waters”.

  • A tornado ripped through a retirement community in St Lucie county killing at least one person according to local authorities. One eyewitness said the community looked like “someone had dropped a weight from the sky and flattened a bunch of houses”.

  • A construction crane in St Petersburg fell into a building with what one witness described as “the metal screeching sound of a train wreck”. There are no reports of casualties in the incident.

  • The roof has been ripped off the Tampa Bay Rays stadium Tropicana Field. It was intended it would be used as a shelter and staging post for first responders.

  • The hurricane, described earlier in the day by Joe Biden as “the storm of the century”, made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, just after 8.30pm ET Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said.

  • Milton was the second direct hurricane hit on Florida in 12 days, after Hurricane Helene’s deadly rampage through the state’s panhandle towards Georgia and the Carolinas beginning on 27 September.

Updated

Our graphics team has put together this illustration of where there are power outages in Florida after the transit of Hurricane Milton.

Some more pictures from the aftermath of Hurricane Milton are now beginning to filter through the news wires …

The Hillsborough County sheriff’s office has said that first responder teams are “out cutting trees, trying to open up some of the roadways.”

It said, in a post to Facebook, “there are downed powerlines and trees everywhere. Please stay indoors. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida has issued the following update to residents:

Hurricane Milton will continue to move offshore today, with lingering wind and flooding concerns across the area. Additionally, hazardous beach conditions are expected. Clear skies do not equate to no hazards, so try to avoid venturing outside.

In the wake of Milton, power outages have been reported all across east central Florida. If your power is out, use flashlights, practice generator safety, and be cautious with food and water.

Additionally, remember that hazards remain even beyond the weather. Avoid damaged buildings, stay away from any downed power lines, and do not walk or drive through flood waters. As clean-up efforts begin, please ensure you and your loved ones stay safe.

This video clip shows the moment a lightning strike cuts power to street lights during Hurricane Milton.

Associated Press reports that in Sarasota County, “first-in” emergency crews were reporting downed power lines and trees in roadways, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post early Thursday.

Some bridges in the county were not passable after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota. The sheriff’s office urged residents and business owners to stay off the roads to allow emergency and utility crews time to work.

“The storm may have passed but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning,” the sheriff’s office said.

Tampa Electric CEO: 'unprecedented' number of customers without power amid significant damage

Tampa Electric president and CEO Archie Collins has told CNN the company is dealing with an “unprecedented number of our customers who are without power.”

He told the network it would take time to assess the full extent of the damage because crews are unable to go and inspect it yet due to the conditions.

Collins said “The eyewall did travel right across Hillsborough County, and that is a gamechanger. The damage out there I think is going to be significantly more than our customers have experienced in their lifetimes. It’s going to be a busy day today just trying to prioritize safety and open things up here in our community.

The poweroutage.us website currently estimates that 3.1 million customers in Flordia out of the 11.5m it tracks are without power.

Fatalities have been reported on Florida’s east coast, after a tornado ripped through a retirement community in St Lucie county.

One eyewitness, Doug Anderson, told local newspaper TCPalm that “I saw a truck knocked sideways. I followed the wreckage into Spanish Lakes. It looked like someone had dropped a weight from the sky and flattened a bunch of houses. One of the last houses I went to looked like it had been ripped in half. The people were out front crying. It was very heartbreaking to watch.”

Anderson, a Lakewood Park resident, told the paper he spent about five hours on the scene trying to help, and witnessed numerous people with injuries.

St Lucie county sheriff Keith Peterson earlier said of the location “Our deputies are out here. The Fire District is out here. We’re going through the rubble. We’re trying to recover anybody that we can, provide whatever help that we can.”

Speaking to ABC News, meteorologist Kevin Musso has described the impact of Hurricane Milton compared to the forecast as a “mixed bag”. He said forecasts about the strength of the hurricane when it made landfall, and the location of the landfall, were “pretty good”, but that there is more that needs to be assessed.

He told viewers “the question about the storm surge will really have to wait to be verified once we get to sunrise, get past these evening hours, and get into daylight.”

Musso also said that the number of tornadoes associated with the hurricane had “exceeded expectations”. “Tornadoes happen,” he said, “but these were exceptional.”

Here is some CCTV footage of CCTV showing Hurricane Milton flooding in a Fort Myers restaurant.

Milton still producing hurricane force winds and heavy rainfall as it moves off Florida's east coast

The US National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Milton has completed its transit of Florida, and has moved off the state’s east coast. However, the center warns that it is still producing “hurricane force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida”.

In an earlier update the center said Milton still had a consistent wind speed of 85 mph (140 kph). About 3 million customers in Florida have been left without power, and there are reports of fatalities as rescue and recovery operations get under way.

Milton earlier made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, swerving south and missing a direct hit on Tampa in Hillsborough County.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office has said “post-storm recovery efforts have begun”. Danny Alvarez, the public information officer for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, earlier said it had been difficult for crews receiving 911 calls but unable to deploy while winds were consistently about 40 mph.

St Petersburg residents could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service, and a construction crane collapsed, falling into a building in the city. Streets in downtown Gulfport were under water.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said, while authorities in St Lucie County said there had been more than one fatality.

Updated

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office has posted to Facebook that it is beginning recovery efforts. It said:

Post-storm recovery efforts have begun in some parts of our county. Please stay home, as we have received reports of downed trees and flooded streets. Your safety is our priority.

The number of customers without power in Florida has passed 3 million.

It has just gone 4am in Florida, and the latest update from the National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Milton is moving north-east at 18mph with sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph).

Here is a video clip of a crane collapse in Florida caused by Hurricane Milton.

Bill Litton, the emergency management director for Osceola County, south of Orlando, has said over 1,400 people were in shelters in the county as of early Thursday morning, the New York Times reports.

Max Chesnes, reporting for the Tampa Bay Times from downtown Gulfport in Florida, states that “There are a few flooded streets in the city under less than a foot of water,” noting that is “far from what the worst case forecasts called for.”

However, in a sign of how Florida has been hit by two hurricanes in the space of a few days, he posted a picture of debris that had not been cleared from the impact of Hurricane Helene now being soaked in the floodwaters from Hurricane Milton.

The NWS National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued an update on Hurricane Milton, which it says now has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph), and is 30 miles (45 km) off Orlando and 20 miles (30 km) off Cape Canaveral.

WINK News meteorologist Matt Devitt has described one of the effects of Hurricane Milton being the “worst tornado outbreak I’ve seen in Southwest Florida in a long time,” adding "there was “horrible damage and devastation from outer bands ahead of Milton.”

Witnesses have told CNN that a crane collapsing in St Petersburg due to Hurricane Milton sounded like “a mix of thunder booming, and the metal screeching sound of a train wreck.”

Resident Makenna Caskey told the news network it came down and hit a building opposite her apartment, and she said it felt like “a massive rumbling tremor that shook our whole building.”

The Tampa Bay Times reported that the crane collapsed near its own office in St Petersburg and that there was “a strong smell of gasoline in the air and the faint sound of alarms ring out.”

PowerOutage.us now reports that 2.8m homes are without power in Florida.

As part of its coverage of Hurricane Milton, ABC News has spoken to Danny Alvarez, the public information officer for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. The county includes Tampa.

He told viewers that “it’s a very complex but coordinated effort” to mount rescue operations, but that at present rescue workers were sheltering in place because “as a policy, we cannot respond to calls if sustained winds are 40 mph or greater”. He said:

Up to this point we’ve had over 40 rescues specifically related to the storm. We expect to continue once the storm passes, and we’re able to respond and continue to our normal operations.

We got into this profession to serve others, serve the community, and to hear these 911 calls coming in, hearing people say, hey, we need your assistance, we need your help, and just us being able to just be on the sidelines for the time being, that’s very difficult for us.

The Washington Post, citing a Pinellas County spokesperson, reports that emergency services have been dispatched to HCA Florida Largo hospital because of flooding in its basement, and are assessing whether patients need to be evacuated.

CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward reports that Milton continues to be a category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds. It is located 30 miles off Orlando and is moving east-northeast at 16 mph.

Cape Canaveral and Daytona Beach, on Florida’s east coast, have begun to experience wind gusts in excess of 75 mph (120 kph).

More than 2.6m homes and businesses were without power in Florida, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.

St Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service.

Milton is expected to retain hurricane strength as it tracks across Florida, with Kissimmee, Orlando and Cape Canaveral still in the forecasted path.

St Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said that about 200 people from state and local agencies are searching for people trapped at a retirement community where the tornado “left a path of destruction” and there were reports of fatalities. “We are not going to get into how many, but I can tell you it’s more than one person who has lost their life that we already recovered,” they told CNN.

ABC News reports that emergency services in Orlando have been pulled off the streets until conditions improve.

Hurricane Milton: what we know so far …

  • A weakening but still tremendously powerful Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night as a category 3, leaving more than 2.6m homes without power, while bringing “catastrophic” winds likely to cause significant property damage

  • The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph (160 kph) as it hovered near Fort Meade, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Tampa, early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said, Associated Press has reported. The hurricane is now reported to be at category 1 level, with 90 mph winds. It is located 30 miles off Orlando

  • The National Weather Service says it has received reports of multiple collapsed cranes, with no reports of injuries, and the Tampa Bay Rays stadium has lost its roof. CNN has reported there have been “multiple fatalities” in St Lucie County although details are unclear

  • About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said

  • St Petersburg has seen 16 inches of rain since the storm began – half of which fell in just two hours

  • President Joe Biden has spoken to officials in Florida, telling told each of the leaders he spoke to they should call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts

  • Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year, CNN reports, more than from 2021 to 2023 combined. It was the second direct hit on Florida in 12 days, after Hurricane Helene’s deadly rampage through the state’s panhandle towards Georgia and the Carolinas beginning on 27 September

Updated

The National Weather Service says it has received reports of multiple collapsed cranes, with no reports of injuries.

This photo from Chris Urso shows one crane broken across 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices.

African elephants, Caribbean flamingos, pigmy hippos and about 1,000 other animals are riding out the monstrous Hurricane Milton at Tampa’s zoo.

Tiffany Burns, senior director of the Zoo’s animal programs, says some animals will have to share shuttered barns or wait out the rough weather in crates tucked throughout a dozen hurricane-hardened buildings.

A few will stay in their habitats. The alligators will mostly just snooze at the bottom of their ponds. “Nothing bothers them,” Burns said.

Zookeepers finished corralling all the animals on Tuesday. The Caribbean flamingos needed extra care, being herded into a canvas chute to guide them into a trailer and then carried in groups to a barn.


Elephants and giraffes were given extra hay and water in case their barns get blocked off by debris.
A dozen zoo keepers are riding out the storm with the animals.

The wild winds are now being felt in Orlando, where police are the fire department have been pulled off the roads to keep safe:

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph (160 kph) as it hovered near Fort Meade, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Tampa, early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said, Associated Press has reported.

The hurricane was expected to continue traveling mostly eastward until it enters the Atlantic Ocean sometime late Thursday, the weather service said.

The damaging winds were accompanied by heavy rainfall, and the weather service issued a flash flood emergency statement for portions of west-central Florida. Flash flood emergency statements generally mean life-threatening catastrophic water rising events are already underway or expected to occur in the immediate future.

St. Petersburg officials warned residents that a broken water main forced the city to temporarily shut off its drinking water service at midnight. The city said residents should boil any water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth until the system is restored.

Taylor Swift donates $5 million to help hurricane relief efforts

Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot announced the singer’s donation for people impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in an Instagram post Wednesday thanking her for “standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”

She wrote:

We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts.

This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms.

Earlier today Astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this incredible video of Milton from above:

Milton rips off Rays' stadium roof

We reported earlier the Rays stadium roof had been lost, as Milton ripped through Florida. We now have video footage showing the destruction to the stadium:

There are now flooding waters in Sarasota, with videos being shared online:

We have a flash flood emergency over west-central Flordia still, the National Hurricane centre has advised. Keep up to date here:

Two million people now without power

Hurricane Milton has now knocked out power to more than 2 million Florida customers, according to utility tracker.

Surge waters have flooded the streets after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers, Florida.

St. Lucie County sheriff says tornadoes killed residents

Before Milton even made landfall Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast, tornadoes were touching down across the state, AP is reporting.

The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, destroying homes and leaving some residents dead.

“We have lost some life,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News. He did not say how many were killed.

Hurricane Milton will continue to bring “devastating rains and damaging winds” across the central Florida peninsula throughout Thursday before exiting the state late in the day for the Atlantic Ocean, the National Weather Service said.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph (165 kph) at 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service, and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of Florida’s western and eastern coastlines.

We have more videos from different parts of Florida that show just how much it is getting battered. One shows that the Tampa Bay Rays stadium has lost its roof:

https://x.com/search?q=%23HurricaneMilton&src=typeahead_click

CNN is reporting there have been “multiple fatalities” in St. Lucie County, Florida.

Several people were killed at Spanish Lakes Country Club, the outlet is reporting but the details remain unclear.

We will bring you more as soon as we have it.

St. Petersburg has seen 16 inches of rain since the storm began – half of which fell in just the last two hours. CNN says this represents more than 1-in-1000 year rainfall for St. Petersburg.

The National Weather Service is warning that major flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly, and that will lead to life-threatening impacts. Flash flood emergencies have been issued for Tampa, St. Petersburg, Riverview, Palmetto, Lakeland, Winter Haven and Wesley Chapel.

Cental Flordia is now experiencing devastating rains the National HUrricane Centre has said:

Field Weather Reporter Charles Peek has shared a video fo the conditions in Tampa:

Floodwaters have also increased in Venice:

More than 1.5 million without power and 125 homes destroyed

More than 1.5 million homes and businesses were without power Wednesday night in Florida, according to poweroutage.us, Reuters has reported. The highest number of outages were in Hardee County, as well as neighbouring Sarasota and Manatee counties.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane even made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.

About 90 minutes after making landfall Wednesday night, Milton was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) northeast of Sarasota and had weakened slightly with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), becoming a Category 2 storm, the hurricane center reported. It was moving east-northeast at 16 mph (26 kph).

The National Weather Service Hurricane Center in Miami says the sustained wind speeds of Hurricane Milton have slowed to around 110 miles per hour (175 km/h), dropping the tropical storm to a Category 2 hurricane.

We have a new position update from Hurricane Milton from the National Hurricane Centre. There are currently wind gusts of 86 mph:

Local weather producer Steve Petyerak has shared this video of the flood levels rising in Port Charlotte:

Nine minutes away in Punta Gorda, FL, it is also flooding.

In the video, the person can be heard describing how there was a “big time surge” within 20 minutes covering the ground.

“Puta Gorda, getting flooded out… big problems here,” he says.

The video shows just how far it has risen, with huge flashes in the background.

President Joe Biden has spoken to officials in Florida, including Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer; Sarasota mayor Liz Alpert; and representatives Gus Bilirakis and Kathy Castor, the White House has said.

The President told each of these leaders to call him directly if they need additional assistance on rescue, response, and recovery efforts. Biden also emphasized that he will be with them and their communities before, during, and after the storm.

The President also spoke with Senators Thom Tillis and Jon Ossoff to discuss the ongoing response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.

The White House said:

Throughout the afternoon, the President has been receiving regular briefings on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory and expected impacts to the State of Florida.

He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the night as the storm moves across the Florida Peninsula.

One million without power as Milton hits

More than a million people are reportedly experiencing power outages across Florida, as of 9:15 p.m. ET as Miltons wreaks havoc as it moves onshore.

On its website, Duke Energy which provides electricity to 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky said:

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida’s west coast, Duke Energy Florida is urging its customers to prepare for this catastrophic storm and a lengthy power restoration process that will result in extended outages.

Updated

Contrasting images of Hurricane Milton’s toll are pouring in as the storm hits Florida’s western coast.

Despite torrential rains, water levels appear low in Tampa, where a reverse storm surge has sucked the water out of the bay. That’s because the storm made landfall south of the city. Since hurricanes spin counterclockwise, locations north of the storm are buffeted by easterly winds – in this case pushing western waters further out.

Meanwhile, south of Milton’s center, western winds are pushing waters from the Gulf of Mexico further ashore. The cities of Fort Myers and Naples are currently reporting flood levels of about four feet.

Updated

National Hurricane Center warns of 'life-threatening storm surge'

In its 9pm update the National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding” as “Milton moves inland along the Florida west coast”. The update included reports of sustained winds in the 60 to 70mph range in the Tampa-St Petersburg metropolitan area, with a gust of 102mph reported at the Skyway Fishing Pier.

With the storm still more than 100 miles away from Orlando, the center also reported a gust of 60mph at the Executive airport there.

Updated

Footage coming in from the Tampa area as Hurricane Milton makes landfall shows the devastating consequences of what Joe Biden has called the “storm of the century”.

Reporters with NewsNation have captured video from Tampa Bay, where the storm sucked water back from the coast. At the mouth of Tampa Bay, a weather station has recorded a wind gust of 100mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, the Weather Channel has captured heavy rainfall inundating the city.

And about 60 miles south of Tampa, in Sarasota, hurricane chasers captured a moment of calm as the eye of the storm passed over the city.

Updated

Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida

Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a category 3 storm with 120 mph sustained winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. Scientists define landfall as the moment the eye of the hurricane moves over the coast – although the approach of the eye wall in the hours before can be more devastating.

Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year, CNN reports, more than from 2021 to 2023 combined.

Updated

More than 600,000 Florida homes are without power – up from 311,000 just an hour ago – as Hurricane Milton hits the state’s western coast, according to Poweroutage.us. Just two weeks ago, almost 3.5 million Americans were without power after Hurricane Helene wreaked unprecedented havoc across large swaths of the south-eastern United States.

Officials say storm to make landfall 'within next hour or two'

In its 8pm briefing, the National Hurricane Center reports that “the center of Milton will make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay region within the next hour or two”. The storm will move across the state overnight and into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.

As the center of the storm approaches, the eye wall is already bringing high winds to the Tampa area. A gust of 96mph was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton international airport, according to the report, while a gust of 90mph was reported in Venice.

Updated

Extreme rains and wind have reached Tampa as Hurricane Milton makes landfall just south of the city. St Petersburg’s Albert Whitted airport has reported a wind gust of 90mph, and more than 6in of rain has already fallen in Tampa. The Weather Prediction Center expects as much as 2 to 3in of rain to continue falling each hour tonight as the storm comes ashore.

Updated

Governor says 'at this point, too dangerous to evacuate safely'

Florida governor Ron DeSantis delivered updates on Hurricane Milton as the storm begins to make landfall south of Tampa.

“There’s already been 116 tornado warnings, with 19 confirmed touchdowns throughout the state, nine flash flood warnings and four additional flood watches, with many, many more to come,” he said.

Addressing fuel shortages – more than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St Petersburg were without fuel on Wednesday afternoon, according to analysts at GasBuddy – he added: “When the ports reopen, Florida Highway Patrol will be standing by to escort fuel trucks to service stations so that people will have access to fuel as they return to their homes.

“At this point, it is too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to hunker down,” he said.

Updated

Nearly 100 tornado warnings issued ahead of Hurricane Milton landfall

The National Weather Service issued at least 98 tornado warnings in the state of Florida between noon and 6pm ET Wednesday as Hurricane Milton prepared to make landfall on the state’s western coast. The service reported sightings of at least 20 tornados, the Washington Post reports.

Meanwhile, major flooding is under way across the state, including in Naples and Fort Myers, where the storm surge has pushed water levels above 3ft.

Updated

As Hurricane Milton begins making landfall, storm chaser and meteorologist Reed Timmer, who has been tracking the storm, has shared footage from just south of Tampa. Wind gusts above hurricane-force (74mph or higher) have been reported along the coast, including a 90mph wind gust at Sarasota Bradenton international airport, according to CNN.

Updated

More than 311,000 clients in Florida are without power as Hurricane Milton starts to make landfall near Tampa, according to Poweroutage.us. The site tracks a total of 11.5m users in the state. The majority experiencing outages are located along the state’s Gulf Coast.

Updated

Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton to make landfall as state pummeled by winds

Florida is bracing for imminent landfall of Hurricane Milton, with winds along the west coast of the state continuing to increase as the center of the storm bears down on Sarasota.

A sustained wind of 58mph and a gust of 77mph were reported near Tampa Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center.

CNN reported that storm surge is ramping up in south-west Florida: Naples is under nearly 3ft of water. Fort Myers saw nearly 2ft of inundation over normally dry ground by 5pm ET.

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