Payam Javan: Hurricane Milton struck Florida with devastating winds and torrential rain, causing significant destruction and triggering tornadoes. The storm, which claimed at least four lives, made landfall on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key, south of Tampa. Despite widespread damage, officials confirmed that the city was spared the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic storm surge. However, areas like Sarasota County faced storm surges as high as 10 feet, while other regions grappled with up to 18 inches of rain, leaving cities submerged and power outages widespread across the state.

As the storm weakened to a Category 1 hurricane by early Thursday, emergency warnings were still in effect for large parts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Officials urged residents to remain indoors as fallen trees, downed power lines, and flooding continued to pose severe hazards. Some areas, such as Plant City, reported unprecedented levels of flooding, and rescue operations were underway to save stranded residents. Power outages affected millions of homes and businesses, and key infrastructures like Tampa’s Tropicana Field and St. Petersburg’s water supply faced extensive damage.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which had already devastated Florida two weeks prior, recovery efforts were severely hampered by Milton’s destructive force. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for over 7 million residents, but many struggled to leave due to hotel shortages and fuel supply issues. Officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis, deployed extensive resources to manage the crisis, but stressed that fatalities were inevitable. As communities across Florida braced for more storms, the full extent of Milton’s destruction is still unfolding.