With gusts now around 170 km/h, Hurricane Milton is accompanied by heavy rains, which cause flooding in the Tampa, Florida area. American state emergency services report that at least 125 homes have already been destroyed on the night of Wednesday October 9 to Thursday October 10. At this point, 19 tornadoes have been recorded, according to Republican Governor Ron Desantis. Follow our live stream.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida. “The storm is here. (…) Stay indoors and don’t take the road,” urged Ron Desantis. The hurricane eventually made landfall on the west coast of the US state “near Siesta Key in Sarasota County”according to the American Hurricane Center (NHC). Escorted by “extreme winds” and heavy rains, Milton has already caused flooding upon its arrival “sudden”.
Confined residents. For several days, the authorities have been urging residents of areas affected by evacuation orders to leave, ensuring that it is a “question of life and death”. For example, thousands of people have evacuated the Tampa region since the start of the week. “If you stay, you will die”, had warned the city’s mayor, Jane Casto.
Downgraded at the end of the day to category 3 (out of 5). Despite everything, the hurricane is still considered “major” by the NHC. Milton is expected as “one of the most destructive hurricanes in over a century in Florida”warned Joe Biden on Wednesday evening. More than 1.7 million homes are without power, according to The Washington Post.
Milton is expected to cross Florida from west to east. According to the NHC, it will pass in particular near the city of Orlando, where the Disney World theme parks were closed at midday. Tampa and Sarasota airports are at a standstill.