Sarasota: At least nine people have been confirmed dead due to Hurricane Milton, officials reported, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers continue to sift through the wreckage on Friday.
The latest fatalities were reported in Volusia County, where Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood confirmed that three people had died in the area.
"One person died after a tree fell, he didn’t know at this point how the other two died," he said.
Hurricane Milton knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and caused widespread flooding. But officials were cautiously optimistic that damage won't reach the level wrought by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida avoided a "worst-case scenario" even as emergency crews start assessing damages and dealing with widespread power outages.
In addition to Milton's wrath, the hurricane spawned a rash of deadly tornadoes across central Florida Wednesday afternoon.
Between the hurricane impacts and the tornadoes, damages and losses may reach between $60 billion to $75 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research.
Ian, which struck near where Milton came ashore, killed at least 156 people and caused more than $112 billion in damage and losses in September 2022, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Milton is the fifth hurricane and second major storm to strike the US Gulf Coast this year. Overall, the six-month Atlantic hurricane season has produced 13 named storms, one less than on average.
However, Hurricane Helene, which hit exactly two weeks ago, destroyed a large swath of the US South and led to at least 230 deaths. The impact of that storm together with Milton is likely to tax federal emergency funds and flood insurance programs.
Meanwhile, drone video shows yachts, sailboats and other vessels are seen tossed onto land in the aftermath of the storm.
Hurricane Milton left at least 3 million people without power as the storm leaves a wake of destruction in Florida, even as the US National Hurricane Center continues to warn about "life-threatening storm surge."
In St. Lucie County, Florida, at least four people were killed as tornadoes from Hurricane Milton ripped through the area, officials said on Thursday.
The hurricane made landfall as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm near Siesta Key.
The roof of Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped off by severe winds. The storm is "still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall," the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.
"There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia," meteorologists said.
Tidal surges inundated western Florida's heavily-populated and low-lying Gulf Coast. Milton ripped through inland areas to the Atlantic Ocean, with tourist hub Orlando - home to Walt Disney World - in its path.
