DARK DAY

11 dead, 3.2m without power, cities flooded as Hurricane Milton tears Florida to pieces

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

HURRICANE Milton left at least 11 people dead and more than three million without power as it tore its way across Florida yesterday.

Thousands of Britons were among those ordered to evacuate their holiday hotels and homes and take shelter as the Sunshine State braced for a storm predicted by some to be worse than Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Gusts of 185mph were recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, but 90 minutes after Milton hit the shore it began to weaken, likely saving hundreds of lives.

Teresa Outhwaite, 51, from Hove, East Sussex, owns a house on Anna Maria Island and was forced to flee the area to Orlando before Milton hit.

The mother-of-two arrived in Florida on Monday to assess the damage to her property inflicted by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago with an insurer.

But she never made it there, telling the Mirror: "After we landed, I managed to book a hotel in Tampa, but then the mandatory evacuation order was made, so we were forced to head north to Orlando for safety. I didn't even get chance to see our home.

"The wind and rain were deafening, and the lightning was awful. A lot of places around us here are flooded." Teresa is fearing for the state of her Florida home, which has been hit by two hurricanes in quick succession.

She said: "I am nervous. The power of Helene and Milton has been devastating. I only hope Mother Nature has not inflicted too much damage."

Initially a Category 3 storm, Milton made landfall around 8.30pm local time on Wednesday.