After the departure of Hurricane Milton, the extent of the devastation and damage across Florida is being laid bare.
The storm made landfall Wednesday evening near Siesta Key, Florida, as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane before ripping through the state as a Category 1 storm — destroying homes, roads, power lines, trees and buildings.
At least 15 people have died in Milton’s path of destruction – which brought destructive storm surge to parts of Florida’s western shore and deadly tornadoes to its east – and the state is anticipating more casualties, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said.
The storm represents a more than 1-in-1000 year rainfall event in some areas, such as St. Petersburg. CNN drone footage showed a construction crane toppling from a high rise and crashing into a building in a scene residents described as a “train wreck.”
Here is more about the storm’s impact and how Florida is picking up the pieces.
- Rescue operations: Nearly 1,000 people have been rescued so far, according to Gov. DeSantis, with thousands of personnel deployed across the state. In one dramatic rescue, a news crew saved a single mother and her 4 children who were trapped in floodwaters for 7 hours.
- Reopened ports: The Coast Guard has reopened some ports following Hurricane Milton, including Key West and Port Miami in Florida, as well as several ports in Georgia and South Carolina. Numerous ports in Florida, including St. Petersburg and Fort Myers, remain closed. Here is what’s open and what’s closed.
- Power outages: More than 2.5 million customers across the state are still without power as of Friday around 4:30 a.m. ET — down from 3.2 million Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
- Air travel: Sarasota Bradenton International Airport will remain closed Friday, while Tampa International Airport will reopen following a three-day flight suspension.
- Boil water notice in St. Petersburg: City crews are working to repair 30 water line breaks caused by fallen trees. Drinking water has been restored, but the city remains under a boil water notice until Monday. Residents should boil water before consuming it — for at least one minute, according to the CDC — but it remains safe for hand washing and showering.
- Orange County lake advisory: In Orange County, authorities urged residents to refrain from swimming in lakes and rivers because of high water levels, potential for contamination, displaced wildlife and submerged structures.
- Separate relief for separate storms: Floridians will need to apply for separate hurricane relief for each storm they were impacted by — even if they were hit by both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, FEMA’s administrator said.
