ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Hurricane Milton swept through central Florida on Thursday, October 10, after making landfall on the state's west coast earlier, bringing deadly tornadoes, destroying homes, and causing power outages for nearly two million residents.

The storm hit land at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h near Siesta Key, according to the US National Hurricane Center. By 11 a.m., wind speeds had decreased to 165 km/h, reducing Milton to a Category 2 hurricane, though it remained extremely dangerous. The storm's eye was located 120 km southwest of Orlando in central Florida.

A flash flood emergency was declared for the Tampa Bay area, which includes Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, with St. Petersburg already experiencing 16.6 inches (422 mm) of rain on Wednesday. The eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, a barrier island community of about 5,400 people located roughly 100 km south of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to over 3 million residents.

Governor Ron DeSantis expressed hope that Tampa Bay, previously considered a potential target for severe damage, could escape major impacts, noting that the worst predicted storm surge could be mitigated by the timing of the landfall before high tide. However, forecasters warned that seawater levels could still rise as much as 13 feet (4 meters).

DeSantis reported that Milton had generated at least 19 tornadoes that caused damage across multiple counties, destroying around 125 homes, primarily mobile homes. "At this point, it's too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to shelter in place and just hunker down," he stated after the storm made landfall.

The storm also caused flooding, as seen in Lee County, Florida, where a road was inundated due to storm surge. At least two fatalities were reported at a retirement community in Fort Pierce, following a suspected tornado, according to NBC News, citing St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson. He estimated that about 100 homes were destroyed in the county, which experienced around 17 tornadoes.

PowerOutage.us reported that more than 1.8 million homes and businesses in Florida were without electricity.

The hurricane was expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight, continuing into the Atlantic while still maintaining hurricane-force winds. After passing Florida, it was forecasted to weaken over the western Atlantic but could still pose a storm-surge threat along the Atlantic Coast.

In a state already impacted by Hurricane Helene two weeks prior, evacuation orders were issued for up to two million people, with millions more in the storm's projected path. Hurricane Helene had already caused widespread devastation across Florida and other southern states, with both storms anticipated to result in billions of dollars in damages.

While evacuees filled highways and faced gasoline shortages, animals such as African elephants, Caribbean flamingos, and pygmy hippos remained sheltered at Tampa's zoo.

By Wednesday afternoon, nearly a quarter of Florida's gas stations had run out of fuel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had dispatched millions of liters of water, meals, and other supplies, along with personnel to the area. Administrator Deanne Criswell assured that additional aid would not detract from recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene.

Trucks worked around the clock to clear debris left by Helene, which could become hazardous projectiles with Milton's approach, according to DeSantis. About 9,000 National Guard personnel were deployed in Florida to assist in recovery efforts, alongside 50,000 electricity grid workers anticipating extensive power outages.

Search-and-rescue teams were prepared to operate as soon as the storm passed, even if it meant working through the night. "It's going to mean pretty much all the rescues are going to be done in the dark, in the middle of the night, but that's fine. They're going to do that," DeSantis remarked.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters