Hurricane Milton hit Florida late Wednesday night (9/10) and early this Thursday (10/10), bringing the risk of tornadoes, flooding and more storms to South America.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 125 homes — many of them prefabricated — were destroyed.
More than two million homes and businesses are without power, and “several deaths” have been reported along the Atlantic coast – the exact number has yet to be confirmed.
Milton became a Category Five hurricane (the most intense) – downgraded to Category 1, but still causing damage. In addition to Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina (the hardest-hit state), Hurricane Helen hits Florida two weeks after it killed at least 225 people in the same state.
In Florida, emergency services said it was too dangerous to respond to some calls for help.
2.6 million households are without electricity
According to the latest data, more than 2.6 million homes and businesses are without power in Florida.
Other states were also affected – about 70,000 people were without power in North Carolina and 37,000 in Georgia.
The storm produced a few tornadoes throughout the day, including a large tornado that crossed an interstate highway known as Alligator Alley.
On the Atlantic coast, several tornadoes hit within 20 minutes, leaving several dead at a resort, police say.
Before the hurricane hit, state officials mobilized nearly 10,000 National Guard members and prepared to distribute 20 million food packages and 40 million gallons of water.
In the city of St. Petersburg, on Florida's west coast, people are left without drinking water after hurricane damage forced officials to shut down the water supply system.
Officials say the shutdown is expected to last “until necessary repairs are completed” and can only be done when it's safe for employees.
All residents have been advised to boil the water they use for drinking, cooking and brushing their teeth.
Parts of the roof of a 42,000-capacity baseball stadium in Florida were ripped off by the tornado.
Pieces of the non-retractable roof of the Tropicana Field baseball stadium were torn off when winds gusted to 205 km/h in St. Petersburg.
The stadium was a shelter for rescuers, but according to local media, there were no injuries. The stadium is used by the Tampa Bay Rays from the top division of American baseball.
Two weeks later another hurricane
The Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to three million people, went on high alert for the storm's potential impact.
Millions of people left danger areas with mandatory evacuation orders in 15 counties along Florida's west coast.
Officials have warned that those who don't do so will risk their lives.
“This is a matter of life and death,” said US President Joe Biden.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state has prepared dozens of shelters outside evacuation zones to help residents after the “horrific” storm.
Long lines formed at gas stations in South Florida as some stations ran out of fuel.
DeSantis said fuel is being transported to the stations and electric vehicle charging stations have been installed along roads to allow people to evacuate more easily.
Two weeks earlier, Hurricane Helen – the continent's worst storm since Katrina in 2005 – struck the southeastern United States, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds more are missing.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned people to brace for strong winds from Helen that could send debris dangerously high into the streets.
Meteorologists warn of monsoon rains, flash floods, strong winds and possible storm surges – which occur when water moves inland from the coast.
All this comes as the US government warned that cleanup efforts after Hurricane Helen could take years.
About 12,000 cubic meters of debris were removed from areas affected by Helen in Florida in two days, officials said.
Hundreds of roads have been closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.
So far, Biden has approved nearly $140 million in federal aid.
