Hurricane Milton leaves trail of chaos across Florida

The storm made landfall after 8 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key, Fla., weakening to a Category 1 as it crossed the state. Milton exited the state Thursday morning and moved into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral. As of Friday morning, more than a dozen people were reported to have died in connection with the Milton. The storm was significant but did not bring the level of storm surges that were expected, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Thursday.

More than a foot of rain fell in some areas. Officials in eastern Florida’s St. Lucie County reported at least four people died after tornadoes touched down in the area. Meanwhile, more than 3 million people were without power in Florida Thursday morning. Authorities warned residents to be aware of continued flooding and strong winds across the peninsula.

What other damage did the storm cause? Strong winds from the hurricane ripped through the roof of the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The field is home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team and was converted into a 10,000-person base camp for emergency operations and first responders for Hurricane Milton. The staging area was relocated to Jacksonville before the storm hit, a spokesman for the governor said.

Meanwhile, rescue operations began across the state’s west coast after flooding trapped residents in apartment complexes and hotels. State search and rescue teams saved at least 48 people by Thursday morning, DeSantis said. National Guard teams also conducted rescues across the state with 31 aircraft and hundreds of personnel on the ground.

Dig deeper: Read our earlier coverage of Milton as it arrived in Florida.