Milton Slams Florida as Cat 3 Leaving 3 Million Without Power - October 10, 2024

Hurricane Milton landed as a Category 3 storm with winds of more than 120 miles an hour Wednesday at about 8:30 Wednesday night. It struck near Sarasota in Siesta Key, about 60 miles south of Tampa Bay on Florida's Gulf Coast, spawning tornadoes, and creating a large storm surge with heavy rains.

While Tampa and St. Petersburg were spared a direct hit, the strong winds shredded the roof of Tropicana Field, home to baseball's Tampa Bay Rays. Winds toppled a huge construction crane, which crashed into the Tampa Bay Times building in downtown St. Petersburg. No injuries are reported in either event.

Milton was downgraded overnight to a still-dangerous Category 1 hurricane, sweeping across Florida, threatening central Florida and the Atlantic Coast population centers.

Milton marched across the state early Thursday, dumping 16 inches of rainfall and leaving a trail of damage including downed trees, flattened homes, and widespread power outages. More than three million people lost electricity.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Milton created more than 30 tornadoes upon making landfall, destroying 125 homes, including mobile homes and a retirement community, and claiming lives, according to St. Lucie Board of County Commissioners Vice Chair Chris Dzadovsky.

MORE: https://cbn.com/news/us/hurricane-milton-leaves-3-million-without-power-after-hitting-florida-category-3-storm

HURRICANE HELENE FOLLOWUP:
'Brought Me to Tears': Operation Blessing's Gift of Clean Drinking Water a Game-Changer in NC

https://cbn.com/news/us/brought-me-tears-operation-blessings-gift-clean-drinking-water-game-changer-nc