Flooded streets. Downed trees. Destroyed homes and buildings.
That’s the aftermath left by the exiting Hurricane Milton, which tore a path of destruction Wednesday night through a large swath of Florida after making its doomed landfall. On Thursday morning, first-responders and residents unable or unwilling to flee were only beginning to understand the extent of the havoc the powerful storm wreaked when it hit the state at Category 3 strength.
As of Thursday morning, millions were left without power and at least two were dead. Photographs show the devastation in bleak terms, highlighting not just the damage itself, but the people now forced to pick up the pieces of their battered communities while still reeling from Hurricane Helene not two weeks prior.
Hurricane Milton left behind power outages, destruction and some fatalities after making landfall overnight Wednesday as a major category three hurricane.
The storm brought with it winds over 100mph and one-in-a-thousand-year rainfall. As much as 18 inches fell in some parts of Florida’s west coast, with heavy downpours across the state and in nearby Cuba.
As it travelled inland across the Florida peninsula, Milton maintained category one strength with sustained winds up to 90mph. It lost some power once over land after its energy was fueled by the warm Gulf of Mexico waters.
Storm surges and tornadoes led to extensive flooding, with more expected in the coming days. Several people have been killed, with tornadoes in Lucie County claiming four lives before Milton made landfall.
Officials across Florida ordered evacuations as the storm approached, and more than three million homes and businesses reportedly lost power overnight Wednesday.
As residents and responders continue rescue operations and surveying damage, we look at the impact of Hurricane Milton in pictures.
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