More than two million Houses and buildings are without electricity in Florida after the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday evening, which caused multiple floods and damage, including the roof of a stadium where emergency services were located.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update that the devastating winds from Hurricane Milton continue to spread across Florida and on the West Coast, where it made landfall, there are more devastating winds. strong gusts of wind are recorded.
Milton has deteriorated to the point category two hurricanebut still maintains maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour).
At least 2.2 million customers of this state are without electricity, according to the accounts of the specialized site PowerOutage, the counties of Pinellas, Manatee and Hillsborough being the most affected.
Saint Petersburg, one of the most affected cities
One of The hardest hit city is St. Petersburgin Pinellas County, where Milton’s forces destroyed part of the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team, where emergency personnel were present.
Several videos posted on social media showed how the wind had torn off the roof, leaving only the structure that supported it. Firefighters said those in the stadium were OK.
To this is added that a major water pipe erupted, which affected the drinking water supply of this city which is part of Tampa Bay. Florida officials recommend people not drink tap water because in some areas its health is compromised.
St. Petersburg received 13 centimeters of rain between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time when Hurricane Milton made landfall and 23.8 centimeters in the following three hours, this amount of rain in such a short time is classified as an event that happens. once every 1,000 years.
Before Milton’s arrival, a tornado caused the first deaths. Authorities in St. Lucie County, on Florida’s east coast, confirmed this evening that “multiple deaths” occurred in a housing community struck by a tornado associated with the system.
At least 19 tornadoes were recorded in central and southern Florida on Wednesday, hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key. Although it has weakened to Category 2, the hurricane is moving toward the Atlantic and could cause more damage to communities already affected by tornadoes.
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Florida after Milton landed. The White House said the president received details on the impact initial assessment of the storm by Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell and Department of Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
Biden assured this Wednesday that your administration would offer its support “as long as necessary to save, recover and rebuild” areas affected by Milton, the second hurricane to hit Florida in nearly two weeks, after suffering the impact of powerful Hurricane Helene on September 26.
