Florida Homes Sustains Extensive Damage, Power Outages Due to Hurricane Milton

TOPSHOT-US-WEATHER-HURRICANE-MILTON — (Photo : Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) Robert Haight looks around his destroyed house after it was hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. Florida residents fled or just hunkered down in the final hours October 9 before Milton pummels the state, as government emergency relief efforts were dragged to the center of the US election.

Hurricane Milton barrelled through Florida's west coast Wednesday evening, spawning tornadoes and battering homes and infrastructure.

The storm brought intense rainfall that damaged buildings and infrastructure after landfall Wednesday night in Sarasota County. It spent 12 hours crossing central Florida before dissipating over the Atlantic Ocean the next morning.

Many initially expected a storm surge, but that never materialized. Instead, Milton triggered multiple tornados, per Reuters.

What Damage Has Hurricane Milton Caused?

The tornadoes spawned by Milton led to power outages to about 3.4 million homes. As of Thursday evening, some 2.6 million homes remained without electricity, according to the tracking service PowerOutage.us.

It is unclear how much damage Milton caused. However, an initial assessment has destroyed at least 100 homes. It also tore apart the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Rays baseball team, and flooded parts of Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers football team.

It was unclear if the stadiums' interiors suffered major damage, according to the Washington Post.

Furthermore, the high winds brought by Hurricane Milton toppled a construction crane at 400 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. The crane fell into a downtown building nearby. No injuries were reported in the incident, Tampa Bay Times said.

Flooding and Deaths

Besides damages, Milton also caused major flooding in Hillsborough County, St. Johns, and the Little Wekiva River. In Punta Gorda, Milton also caused widespread flooding and tossed boats onto dry land.

There were also reports of spills of partly-treated sewage. Specifically, more than 600,000 gallons of sewage spilled in Dover and 200,000 in Tampa. The hurricane triggered multiple sewer overflows in Hillsborough County at pump stations and manholes.

As of Thursday, 12 deaths were linked to the storm. One of the victims was a woman in her early 70s whose body was found beneath a tree brand in Tampa. Six deaths occurred in St. Lucie County, four were reported in Volusia County, and one in Citrus County.