Hurricane Milton has left a trail of destruction as it pummelled Florida’s coastal areas, damaging homes, flooding roads and knocking out power for millions.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the extent of the damage from the Category 3 storm was still being assessed, but it “was not the worst-case scenario” that many had been bracing for.
“The storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario,” he said during a news conference Thursday.
“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses.”
Oscar Garcia (R) stands outside his house with his family after getting hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton approaches.
Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
A downed tree lies across a road after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in downtown Tampa, Fla., on Thursday.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
A car sits in high water in front of a home in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, on Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
A car sits in high water in front of a home in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds at 120 m.p.h., according to the National Hurricane Center.
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Photos and videos of the storm’s aftermath showed fallen trees, submerged vehicles and damaged infrastructure in different cities.
An aerial view of Tropicana Field’s shredded roof in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., in the wake of Hurricane Milton early Thursday.
Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Drone images above Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, show the shredded roof of the dome and the cots on the field, set up for first responders, among the debris on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP
More than 3.3 million people across the state were without power Thursday morning, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.
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At least five people were reported dead, officials said.
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 m.p.h. (135 km/h) and leaving the state near Cape Canaveral.
Drone video shows flooded neighbourhoods, destruction in Florida in wake of Hurricane Milton
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However, officials are still warning about the hazards that remain in the aftermath of the storm.
The National Weather Service is cautioning people to “watch out for downed power lines and damaged buildings.”
“Avoid floodwaters as they can hide a variety of dangers, and never drive through them, as it doesn’t take much to sweep your car away,” the NWS said on X.
Debris and an awning of a gas station sits on the ground the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region on Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
A house loses its awning after Hurricane Milton on Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
A construction crane fell over into an office building that houses the Tampa Bay Times headquarters on Thursday.
Tampa Bay Times via AP
Doug Manning surveys damage to his Siesta Key, Fla., home after Hurricane Milton made landfall nearby on Thursday. Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, walks over bricks near a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Thursday, as Hurricane Milton’s strong winds tore through the area.
Chris Urso / Tampa Bay Times via AP
Debris along Commonwealth Drive clogs the roadway after Hurricane Milton made landfall nearby Thursday in Siesta Key, Fla.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Debris covers the ground near a crane that fell onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Hurricane Milton’s strong winds tore through the area on Thursday.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
The Ponce De Leon Hotel sign fell to the ground after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Lauren Peace/Tampa Bay Times via AP
A crane falls onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Hurricane Milton’s strong winds tore through the area on Thursday.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Waves crash along St. Pete Pier in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Hurricane Milton was expected to make landfall on Wednesday night.
Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images
Chris Williams runs through a rain storm as he packs his car to evacuate his apartment before Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Chris Nation, of Commerce, Ga., skids on puddles in the parking lot of the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, in Tampa, Fla.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with co-workers on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Tourists exit the Disney Springs entertainment complex before the arrival of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
AP Photo/John Raoux