Hurricane Milton lashes Florida with tornadoes and flooding; At least nine dead: live updates

The CNN anchor is hit by flying debris while in the air while covering Hurricane Milton live

At least nine people have died after Hurricane Milton devastated parts of Florida and residents woke up to survey the damage.

Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing with it multiple tornadoes, 28-foot waves, strong winds, heavy rains and a devastating storm surge.

Four people at the St. Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes caused by the hurricane after a dozen tornadoes struck the region within 20 minutes.

High winds caused a crane to collapse into The Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, while the roof of the Tropicana Field baseball stadium was in poor condition.

More than 3.3 million homes and businesses in Florida are without power, with those in the west-central region hardest hit.

Evacuation warnings were sent out to millions of people, and Bradenton Police Chief Melanie offered a dire forecast for those who ignored the advice. “What we're likely to find tomorrow morning are bodies,” she told BBC Radio 4 Today Thursday morning program.

After making landfall, Milton has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and continues to move off the east coast of Florida – residents are still battling strong winds and storm surge.

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Stunning images showed crane damage to the “historic” Tampa Bay Times office building

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:54 p.m

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St. Petersburg's mayor said Milton caused about 18 inches of rain, damaging the city's drinking water systems

“We are actively working to restore these services to residents as quickly as possible,” Mayor Ken Welch said Thursday.

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:51 p.m

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Customers without power will be out late Thursday morning

According to tracker PowerOutage.US, the number of customers without power fell slightly from 3.4 million to 3.3 million in a matter of minutes on Thursday morning.

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:49 p.m

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Duke Energy reports 850,000 power outages in Milton

“Hurricane #Milton swept through our state with devastating intensity, leaving a trail of destruction that we and many Floridians cannot yet fully understand,” Todd Fountain, storm director for Duke Energy Florida, said in a statement.

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:48 p.m

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Florida Power & Light crews assess the damage caused by the storm

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:46 p.m

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Stephen King criticizes 'sulky teenager' DeSantis for his response to Hurricane Milton

Author Stephen King has criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his response to Hurricane Milton, saying the massive storm has hit the US state and has already caused “several deaths”.

Evacuation warnings were sent out to millions of people, and Bradenton Police Chief Melanie offered a dire forecast for those who ignored the advice.

Greg Evans has the whole story.

James LiddellOctober 10, 2024 4:46 p.m

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There are three deaths in Volusia County, bringing the total to nine

“One person died after a tree fell, he didn't know at that time how the other two died,” he said.

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:42 p.m

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Boats were used in morning rescue operations as towns fell underwater

Residents were rescued from an apartment complex in Clearwater on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)

Residents are rescued from their two-story apartment complex in Clearwater (AFP/Getty)

Boats washed ashore Thursday as Hurricane Milton passed through Punta Gorda (Getty )

James LiddellOctober 10, 2024 4:30 p.m

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Hillsborough County roads hit by flooding, sinkholes appear

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:26 p.m

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Trump sends message to Floridians: We will come back “better than before.”

“We are deeply saddened by the reported devastation,” former President Donald Trump said in a video message.

“The sun will shine again over the beautiful Florida we love so much,” he said.

“Together we will come back better than before.”

Julia MustoOctober 10, 2024 4:24 p.m

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