Rescue teams clear the rubble after Hurricane Milton struck several communities in Florida, destroying homes.
advertisementFloridians are beginning to assess the extensive damage left by Hurricane Milton, which killed at least eight people after making landfall in Florida Wednesday evening.
The hurricane, which spawned multiple deadly tornadoes, also knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and destroyed thousands of properties.
Five people have died after their home was struck by winds near Fort Pierce, and another person was killed by a falling tree.
In dramatic scenes, a helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to an ice chest in the Gulf of Mexico after his fishing boat ran aground in churning seas due to Hurricane Milton. According to the Coast Guard, the man survived waves of up to 7.6 meters while clinging to a boat all night.
Damage to homes and businesses, including the roof of the baseball stadium torn off and a construction crane toppled by the strong winds, has not yet been calculated.
Despite the destruction, some expressed relief that the damage was not worse as the hurricane spared the main city of Tampa and caused a catastrophic storm surge that scientists warned would never materialize.
The storm came just two weeks after Hurricane Helen, killing an estimated 227 people and causing significant damage to the community.
“We are facing two hurricanes in a matter of weeks,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a briefing in Sarasota. “It’s not an easy ride, but I’ve seen a lot of resilience across this state.”
He added that ongoing efforts have resulted in the rescue of at least 340 people and 49 pets.
About 80,000 people spent the night in shelters and thousands more escaped after authorities ordered mandatory evacuations across 15 Florida counties with a total population of about 7.2 million.
