At least 16 people have died from Hurricane Milton, which roared onshore on Florida's west coast as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing tornadoes, powerful winds and flooding rains. The monster storm forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction across Florida.
More than 1.8 million customers remain without power in Florida on Friday evening.
Over 3 million customers lost power at the height of the storm.
Duke Energy said it plans to restore power by Sunday night in Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Highlands, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties. Power is expected to be restored in Pasco and Pinellas counties by Tuesday night.
The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport will stay closed until Oct. 16. Concourse B lost its entire roof, airport officials said, as they shared photos of the destruction.
Flights resumed at Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport on Friday and the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will reopen on Saturday.
SRQ has suffered the loss of its entire roof over concourse B that covers the screening checkpoint, and all 13 aircraft loading gates⛈️📌SRQ will remain closed until October 16th, at 9 am. The SRQ team is hard at work, we thank you for your understanding💚 pic.twitter.com/7tlg0jEsWB
— SRQ Airport (@SRQAirport) October 11, 2024
Over 29% of gas stations across Florida are without fuel on Friday afternoon, according to GasBuddy.
The Tampa/St. Petersburg region is the hardest hit, with 77% of gas stations empty.
"The issue is not a lack of gasoline, but the difficulty of transporting it from the port to gas stations due to flooding," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said Friday. "We expect trucks to start refueling stations by the end of the day, but in the meantime, conserve fuel if possible."
Authorities in Hernando and Pasco counties on Florida’s west coast are urging some residents to evacuate immediately due to rising floodwaters.
"Pasco County is experiencing historical flooding in low-lying areas and in several neighborhoods around the county near our rivers and lakes," officials wrote on social media. "Water is quickly rising in these areas, and we encourage you to LEAVE and get to higher ground NOW."
Hernando County fire officials said, "If you reside near the Withlacoochee River, please LEAVE NOW because water is rising quickly."
Pasco County is experiencing historical flooding in low-lying areas and in several neighborhoods around the county near our rivers and lakes. Water is quickly rising in these areas, and we encourage you to LEAVE and get to higher ground NOW.If you must travel around the county,… pic.twitter.com/lgrtbi6vb8
— Pasco County PIO (@PascoCountyPIO) October 11, 2024
Hurricane Milton was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds close to 160 mph as of 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest update. The storm is in the Gulf of Mexico moving northeast towards Florida at around 12 mph.
The storm is expected to make landfall along Florida's west-central coast as a Category 3 storm late Wednesday or early Thursday, subsequently moving off the east coast of Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday afternoon.
"Milton is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida," the NHC said early Wednesday. "Weather conditions are expected to begin deteriorating this afternoon."
Hurricane-force winds extend outward from Milton's center to around 30 miles, with tropical-storm-force extending out to 140 miles.
