Milton hits central Florida on a night with millions displaced and without power

Hurricane Milton has hit central Florida with torrential rains and strong gusts of wind, after making landfall on the west coast of a state where there are more than a million people displaced from their homes, more than 2.6 million homes without electricity and for now two confirmed deaths. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns of the high risk of flooding in central Florida.

Authorities said at least two people were killed by a cyclone-related tornado in a retirement community in St. Lucie County on Florida’s west coast.

According to the latest bulletin from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Milton is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Orlando, the city of theme parks, and its winds have weakened to 165 km/ h (100 miles per hour), although they are still potentially harmful.

The hurricane made landfall in Siesta Key, on the west coast of Florida, south of the city of Tampa, at 8:30 p.m. local time, with winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour (120 miles), that is, with category 3 on the scale. Saffir-Simpson (out of 5).

The NHC predicts that Milton, now a category one, moving in an east-northeast direction at a speed of about 26 km / h (16 miles per hour), will cross the Florida peninsula during the night (local time) and will be located off the state’s east coast on Thursday.

In the entire area in the Milton trajectory cone in Florida, rains are recorded that have already exceeded in some cases the daily rainfall records of that place and are equivalent to the average of several months or even a year, as is the case of the coastal city of St. Petersburg, one of the most affected by Milton, according to reports CNN.

The roof of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team’s stadium, located in St. Petersburg, was completely destroyed by the hurricane’s winds. The stadium was prepared to accommodate emergency personnel once Milton passed through the bay area. from Tampa.

According to sources from the St. Petersburg firefighters cited by Miami’s NBC6 channel, at the time the roof flew there were people inside the stadium, but they were unharmed because they had taken refuge in the internal corridors.

For now, the magnitude of the damage caused by the hurricane is unknown, something that will begin to be seen when it dawns in Florida, but the images of its arrival show rising seas, floods, destroyed houses, fallen trees and poles, and boats aboard. the drift.

According to the PowerOutage.us website, the number of customers of Florida electric companies without service has been growing to more than 2.6 million as the hurricane advances towards the interior of the peninsula.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister posted a video online in which he “implores” the residents of that area of ​​western Florida, as police chief and as a father, to stay under shelter and not go outside.

The same message was sent by the Florida Division of Emergency Management: “Stay safe and remain vigilant well into Thursday. Flooding everywhere, isolated tornadoes and destructive winds are expected!!

The division especially warned residents of Tampa Bay, on the west coast, where the sea has retreated due to the spring tide caused by the hurricane, not to step into areas normally covered by the sea. “The water will return with the surge and there is a risk of dying,” he indicated.

In Tampa the sea rose more than 3 meters (ten feet) above its normal level.

More than 1,400 members of an urban search and rescue team and more than 100 speed boats were deployed across the state ahead of Hurricane Milton to begin search and rescue operations as soon as daylight hits land on Wednesday. night on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis told the News Service of Florida that teams from more than a dozen states, including California and Washington, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, were “waiting” to begin operations. search and rescue as soon as possible.

Milton approaches Cape Canaveral

The hurricane destroyer is approaching Cape Canaveral, the main center of space activities, and is at a distance of 20 kilometers, according to the latest data provided by the US National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 134 kilometers per hour.

The hurricane is moving at 30 kilometers per hour and the distance to the east of the city of Orlando, known for its theme parks, is currently about 55 kilometers, after hitting last night as a category 1 – on the Saffir-Simpson scale (of 5)- the west coast of the state of Florida, in the United States.

Walt Disney (DIS.N) said its Florida theme park will remain closed Thursday, joining other major Orlando attractions bracing for disruptions as the hurricane approaches the state.

“Strong winds extend along the east coast of Florida as the center of Milton approaches Cape Canaveral,” according to the latest updated data from the NHC.

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