TAMPA, Fla. — TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday after crossing Florida as a Category 3 storm, pummeling the city with fierce winds and rain, spawning tornadoes and killing an unknown number of people. This compounded Helen’s misery without directly damaging Tampa.
The storm moved south in its final hours and made landfall Wednesday night at Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. Conditions in the Tampa area remained a critical emergency as St. Petersburg recorded more than 15 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there and other parts of western and central Florida.
The storm knocked out power across large swaths of Florida, leaving more than 3.2 million homes and businesses without power, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
The fabric that serves as the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg, was torn to shreds by strong winds. It was not immediately clear whether there was any damage to the interior. The National Weather Service said the storm also brought down several cranes.
St. Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main broke and the city cut off service.
Tornadoes touched down across the state before Milton made landfall. Spanish Lake Country Club near Fort Pierce on Florida’s Atlantic coast was particularly hard hit, with homes destroyed and some residents killed.
“We have lost some lives, but we are not saying how many,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News.
About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall on the coast, many of them mobile homes in the community for seniors, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.
About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (135 kph) and left the state near Cape Canaveral.
But the danger has not gone away. Storm surge remained a concern in many parts of Florida and a tropical storm warning was in effect for much of the east central coast. Officials in hard-hit Pinellas and Sarasota counties urged people to stay off the roads and be alert for downed power lines, trees in roadways and blocked bridges.
“The storm has passed, but it is still dangerous to travel this morning,” the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said on social media.
Two weeks after Hurricane Helen flooded streets and homes in western Florida and killed at least 230 people across the South, the storm struck a region still reeling. In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge toss it around and cause further damage.
Officials have issued dire warnings to flee or face bleak odds of survival. By late afternoon, some officials said the time for such an effort had passed, suggesting those who stayed behind were hunkering down instead.
Jackie Curnick said she had a hard time deciding to stay at her home in Sarasota, just north of where the storm made landfall. She and her husband began packing for evacuation on Monday, but had trouble finding available hotel rooms, and the few they visited were too expensive.
Kernick, who has a 2-year-old son and a daughter due on Oct. 29, said she has so many unanswered questions if she gets in her car and leaves, including where she can sleep and where she can fill her gas tank. , and if they can find a safe route out of the state.
Footage taken during the storm shows winds whipping and rain pouring down on the glass-enclosed swimming pool as her son and dog look on. The trees shook violently.
“The problem is that it is so difficult to evacuate the peninsula,” she said before the storm arrived. “In most other states, you can go in either direction. “There are so many roads going north or south in Florida.”
At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined the extensive deployment of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states. More than 50,000 utility workers from as far away as California; Highway patrol cars with sirens escort gasoline tankers to replenish supplies so people can fill their tanks before evacuating.
“Unfortunately, there will be deaths. I don’t think there’s any way to solve that problem,” DeSantis said.
Heavy rain and tornadoes pounded parts of South Florida starting Wednesday morning, with conditions worsening throughout the day. Inland, 6 to 12 inches (15 to 31 centimeters) of rain was expected to fall, with up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) expected to fall in some areas, raising the risk of catastrophic flooding.
A twister touched down in the sparsely populated Everglades Wednesday morning and crossed Interstate 75. Another apparent tornado touched down in Fort Myers, snapping tree limbs and shredding the canopy of a gas station.
Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for 15 Florida counties with a total population of about 7.2 million. By early afternoon, airlines had canceled about 1,900 flights. SeaWorld was closed all day Wednesday, while Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando closed in the afternoon.
More than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were low on fuel Wednesday afternoon, according to GasBuddy. DeSantis said the state’s overall supply is good and that highway patrol officers are escorting tanker trucks to replenish supplies.
Officials warned that anyone who stays behind should protect themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues during the storm.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told residents to expect extended power outages and possible sewer system closures.
In Charlotte Harbor, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, clouds billowed and winds gusted as Josh Parks loaded clothes and other belongings into his Kia sedan. Two weeks ago, Helene’s surge brought about 1.5 meters of water into the neighborhood, leaving streets filled with water-soaked furniture, torn drywall and other debris.
Parks, an automotive mechanic, said he planned to flee to his daughter’s home inland and that his roommate had already left.
“I told her to pack like you’re not coming back,” he said.
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Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalist Holly Ramer in New Hampshire; Joseph Frederick of West Bradenton, Florida; Kurt Anderson in Tampa; Freida Frisaro of Fort Lauderdale; Brenden Farrington of Tallahassee; Michael Goldberg of Minneapolis; Patrick Whittle of Portland, Maine; Jeff Martin of Atlanta and Christopher L. Keller of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
