At least 11 people died in Hurricane Milton, which triggered tornadoes in Florida, authorities said. The state faced flooding, power outages and other problems caused by a weaker-than-expected storm. Many feared it would be catastrophic, AFP reported.
The hurricane passed through the state late on October 9 before entering the Atlantic. In its wake, it left roads blocked by downed trees and power lines, and destroyed the roof of a baseball stadium. About three million homes and businesses were without power.
So far, however, it appears that tornadoes, not flooding, are to blame for the deaths resulting from the storm.
"It was pretty scary. They found right outside a couple of people dead, in a tree. I wish they had evacuated," said Susan Stepp, a 70-year-old resident of Fort Pierce, a city on Florida's east coast. Four people from a retirement community there died after a tornado touched off by Milton.
There were reportedly five casualties in St. Lucie County, three in Volusia County, two in the city of St. Petersburg and one in the city of Tampa, local authorities said. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the deaths were caused by tornadoes.
In Tampa, police found a woman in her 70s wedged under a large tree branch and pronounced her dead. They said her death was "related to recovery efforts after Hurricane Milton."
In Polk County, a road crew member was struck and killed by a co-worker's vehicle while removing a fallen tree.
Stepp's husband Bill said the tornado "lifted my 22-ton house off its wheels and threw it across the yard."
"Scary and heartbreaking at the same time, to see a lot of damage and all the things you really love just gone, but it's just stuff and we're still here," the 72-year-old man explained.
The southeastern U.S. state managed to avoid the catastrophic destruction authorities feared.
"The storm was significant, but fortunately it wasn't the worst-case scenario," Florida Governor Ron Desantis pointed out.
Milton entered the Florida coast as a category three storm. Its powerful winds battered communities that still haven't recovered from Hurricane Helen, which slammed into them just two weeks ago. A total of 237 people died in Florida and other southeastern states.
The National Weather Service issued 126 tornado warnings statewide on Oct. 9. Those are the most warnings ever issued in a single calendar day for the state in records dating back to 1986, writes tornado expert Michael Lowry.
In Sarasota Bay, Christine Joyce, a 72-year-old interior designer who also didn't evacuate, took photos of tree limbs snapped by the wind.
"There's no doubt that this should be a serious signal to everyone regarding climate change," she said, surveying the damage.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are occurring with greater force and frequency as temperatures rise due to climate change. As warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, they provide more energy for storms as they form. | BGNES
