Hurricane Milton Slams Florida as Category 3 Storm, Leaving Millions Without Power and Tornadoes in Its Wake
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night as a “dangerous Category 3” storm near Siesta Key on Florida’s central west coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Siesta Key, a barrier island just south of Sarasota, experienced sustained winds of 120 mph at landfall. However, as Milton moved inland, its strength weakened to a Category 1 storm.
By early Thursday, over 3.2 million Florida residents were without power, as reported by utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
The hurricane center had previously urged residents in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas to shelter in place due to the “extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds” sweeping through the region.
Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service in Miami detected at least four tornadoes, including a “multi-vortex tornado.” Meteorologists also noted that storm surge was beginning to impact Florida’s southwestern coast, prompting tornado warnings for several cities on top of existing hurricane and storm surge warnings.
President Biden, who was set to monitor the response to Hurricane Milton, postponed his planned trip to Germany and Angola.
“I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to heed local officials and follow all safety instructions,” Biden said. “… If you’re under evacuation orders, you need to evacuate immediately. This is a life-and-death situation.”
The president also said he had pre-approved emergency declarations in Florida and dispatched FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to the state. He assured local leaders that “anything they need, they can have.” Be safe to everyone out there especially who lives in America Florida!
