The storm made landfall last night near Siesta Key as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, pounding the Sunshine State with torrential rains and fierce winds. It lost some of its strength and weakened to a Category 1 as it traversed the state, but not before lashing Tampa with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour overnight.
The latest power tracking data shows more than 3.25 million power outages throughout the state, and Tampa Electric President and CEO Archie Collins announced that the number was “unprecedented.”
"The eyewall did travel right across Hillsborough County, and that is a game changer. These were the strongest winds that we believe have been experienced in Hillsborough County in as long as anyone can remember. The damage out there I think is going to be significantly more than our customers have experienced in their lifetimes," he noted.
Although it is still too early to determine the true extent of the damage, some of the most dramatic images of the aftermath so far depict damage to buildings. For example, Tropicana Field, the baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, was seen with its roof torn off.
A construction crane fell from a high-rise in St. Petersburg, crashing into the building that houses the Tampa Bay Times and other businesses in dramatic fashion. The city was hit with more than 18 inches of rain, something that hasn’t happened there in more than a thousand years.
A large boat was pushed into a home in Grove City, which is situated 30 miles southeast of where Milton first made landfall. Drone footage shows extensive damage there, with debris scattered in every direction and neighborhoods looking unrecognizable. Meanwhile, multiple boats were tossed onto streets and even a tennis court in Punta Gorda.
"Supercharged" tornadoes cause destruction
St. Lucie County, where five fatalities have been confirmed so far, was hit by numerous tornadoes that popped off from the hurricane, including three in a span of under 25 minutes. More than 100 homes were damaged there, with many of them being a total loss. One of the tornadoes hit a retirement community, lifting modular homes there off of their foundations.
The National Hurricane Center’s Director, Michael Brennan, said the tornadoes seen from Milton were “supercharged” compared to typical hurricane-related tornadoes, lasting longer and packing more of a punch.
A 10,000-square-foot iron structure that the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office used to store its emergency equipment to deal with the hurricane was taken out by one of the tornadoes.
St. Lucie County Commissioner George Landry said in a press conference: “This has been a tragic 24 hours.”
Numerous water rescues are currently underway as the storm surge continues to wreak havoc. About 135 residents of a Tampa assisted living facility had to be evacuated after being found in waist-deep water, many of them in wheelchairs.
In addition to power outages, gasoline shortages are being reported throughout the state after people filled their tanks to evacuate and stocked up to fuel their generators. One in four of the state’s gas stations are currently out of fuel.
Although the hurricane is now moving away from the U.S., authorities warn that 10 million people along the Atlantic coast can expect dangerous conditions today and tomorrow. Much of the coast in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina is currently under high alert due to rip currents and waves of as high as 17 feet.
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