Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida in the evening with fierce winds, life-threatening rains and storm surges, and people who just two weeks ago experienced another hurricane were bracing for a long and stormy night.
The "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm made landfall near Siesta Key, in a densely populated area on the state's west coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an 8:30 p.m. (0030 GMT) bulletin.
"So the storm is here. It's time for everybody to go home," Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference shortly before Milton's arrival.
The central Florida peninsula is experiencing life-threatening storm surges, extreme winds and flash flooding, the NHC said.
Later, Milton is expected to cross inland and reach the Atlantic Ocean, with the tourist hub of Orlando - home of Disneyland - on its way.
At the time of landfall, Milton was moving with sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour, with the potential for waves of up to 4 metres, the NHC said.In towns along Florida's west coast, the wind was raging fiercely and torrential rain was falling, and frightened people were hiding wherever they could.In the city of Sarasota, near Siesta Key, gusts of wind blew glass off buildings on a waterfront street.The streets were deserted. Trees swayed almost horizontally, barely withstanding the wind. Businesses were closed and sandbagged.
On a wooden board attached to the window of an old red brick building, someone had written, "Be kind, Milton."
Just before entering the drought, DeSantis said it was too late and too dangerous to evacuate anyone, so people should stay put and ride out the storm wherever they were.
"Stay inside and don't go out on the road. Floodwaters and storm surge are very dangerous," the governor said.
Airports in Tampa and Sarasota were closed until further notice. I BGNES
