Several deaths as Milton causes havoc in Florida

More than 3m without power amid widespread destruction

- RHIAN LUBIN, JOSH MARCUS

Hurricane Milton brought powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and flooding to much of Florida yesterday after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

An estimated 11 people have died as winds of over 100 mph battered St Petersburg as the baseball stadium’s roof, made of Teflon-coated fiberglass, was torn away. More than 3.2 million homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless.

Milton made landfall near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing multiple tornadoes and 28 feet waves.

The landfall’s location, about 112km (70 miles) south of Tampa, spared the city from unprecedented damage officials warned it could face from a direct hit.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday that Tampa had avoided the “worst-case scenario,” where storm surge was predicted to overwhelm a city that hasn’t been in the eye of a hurricane in more than a century.

Still, an estimated 70 per cent of customers with the city’s Tampa Electric utility remained without power as of Thursday afternoon.

The governor added that some areas received up to 18 inches of rain. “We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got more to do, but we will absolutely get through this.”