Florida left a trail of destruction behind

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton raged across the Florida Panhandle on Thursday, tearing a path of destruction from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean as it flooded neighborhoods, destroyed homes, tore off the roof of a major sports facility and toppled a massive crane into an office building.

In downtown Tampa early Thursday, high winds brought down traffic lights, tore signs from the ground and sent construction barricades sweeping across the wet sidewalk. Milton's winds also tore off plywood designed to block the storm, and part of the brick facade of a downtown building collapsed, partially blocking a street.

But Tampa Bay appeared to be spared a massive storm surge, instead experiencing a reverse storm surge that pushed water away from the shore.

Milton made landfall late Wednesday on the state's west coast as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph and a spate of tornadoes it spawned. The system exited the state early Thursday near Cape Canaveral, still at Category 1 hurricane strength and with winds of 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. update.

At least two deaths were reported at a senior living community following a suspected tornado in Fort Pierce on the state's east coast, NBC News reported, citing St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson. More than three million homes and businesses were dark as of early Thursday, according to USA TODAY power outage data.

A flash flood emergency was in effect for Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, the hurricane center said, after parts of the area were inundated with more than 16 inches of rain on Wednesday.

The eye of the storm hit Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota about 60 miles south of Tampa. Milton's powerful attack comes two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coast en route to devastating communities in seven states.

developments

∎ Oil prices rose on Thursday due to a surge in fuel demand, the impact of Milton in Florida and concerns about possible supply disruptions in the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and major oil producer Iran. The storm has already boosted demand for gasoline in the state, with about a quarter of gas stations sold out, helping to support crude oil prices.

∎ Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to hurricane relief efforts for victims of Helene and Milton, nonprofit Feeding America announced.

Officials reported late Wednesday that a crane collapsed near a construction site in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the crane left a gaping hole in an office building that houses several businesses, including the newspaper. No injuries were initially reported.

“The public is urged to continue sheltering in place” but to avoid the area, a statement from the city of St. Petersburg said.

“We can confirm that a crane cabin at the top of the mast has crashed,” said John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group, which is developing the skyscraper, the Times reported. “We are working with city officials and others to assess the situation.”

Milton devastated the Tampa Bay area with strong winds and heavy rains after making landfall late Wednesday. Officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, confirmed that damaging winds damaged the roof of Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays. The ballpark was repurposed as a base camp for thousands of emergency responders as Florida prepared for Milton. Footage from local television channels and photos shared on social media showed part of the stadium's roof being torn off in high winds.

The Dome Stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, although there are plans to replace it by 2028. It is among the smallest MLB stadiums in terms of seating capacity, but Tropicana Field features a sloping roof, designed to be 100 m² (2,000 sq ft), partially angled to better protect it from hurricanes.

− Thao Nguyen, Eric Lagatta

Tornadoes reportedly ripped through parts of Southwest Florida on Wednesday, including in Collier County and Lee County, causing extensive damage in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

Scott Fincher, a North Fort Myers resident, sat with his family on the porch of his community home in Pine Lakes, waiting for Milton. While they waited, they passed the time watching the local news reporting on the “tornado outbreak.”

Reporters then announced that a tornado was heading toward the sister community of Lake Fairways, which borders Pine Lakes. Then Fincher knew: They had to hide.

Fincher immediately began accommodating everyone in the house: his wife, his sister-in-law and his dog. “Just as we were all about to move in, it came through,” Fincher said, “and I heard the rumble.”

“It was a wall of black,” Fincher said. “It was as black as it could be. . . I was afraid. You could feel the ground shaking a little bit, the house and everything.”

− Kate Cimini, Fort Myers News Press

Analysts said Wednesday that Hurricane Milton could result in losses of up to $100 billion for the global insurance industry and trigger a surge in reinsurance prices in 2025 that could drive shares of some insurance companies higher.

Milton, which slammed into Florida's already storm-battered West Coast on Wednesday evening, triggered at least 19 tornadoes and caused damage in numerous counties. According to Gov. Ron DeSantis, about 125 homes, most of them mobile homes, were destroyed.

“At this point it is too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to shelter in place and just hunker down,” DeSantis said as he announced the landing.

Insured losses from Milton could range from $60 billion to $100 billion if the hurricane makes direct landfall in the densely populated Tampa area, Morningstar DBRS analysts said. A $100 billion loss would put Milton on par with Katrina in 2005, they said, adding that insured losses would likely be “significant but not catastrophic.”

Contribution: Reuters

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