Hurricane Milton Devastates Florida: Power Outages and Fatalities Rise

Hurricane Milton has caused significant destruction in Florida, with at least 14 fatalities reported. Over 2.9 million are without power as recovery efforts continue. A woman died during cleanup in Tampa, and six perished in a St. Lucie mobile home park. President Biden urged citizens to stay safe.

The death toll from Hurricane Milton, which wreaked havoc in Florida, has climbed to at least 14, according to CNN. A noteworthy incident occurred in Hillsborough County, encompassing Tampa, where a woman in her late 70s tragically lost her life. She was participating in post-hurricane restoration efforts when a large tree branch fatally struck her at around 11:00 am ET on Thursday, as outlined in a municipal news release.

"Though the storm has passed, its havoc continues to claim lives," expressed Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. "Our deepest sympathies lie with the grieving family as they mourn their loss." More than 2.9 million electricity users in Florida remain without power. Al Jazeera reports that the hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm, downgraded from an initial Category 5.

In St. Lucie County, County Sheriff Keith Pearson revealed to CNN that twenty-five survivors have been evacuated from a mobile home park, which resulted in six fatalities. While the exact number of missing individuals is uncertain, rescue teams persist in sifting through debris to locate more survivors, despite challenging search conditions.

President Joe Biden has urged those affected by Hurricane Milton to prioritize safety. In a recent post on X, he stated, "To everyone impacted by Hurricane Milton: I urge you to stay inside and off the roads. Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions. Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it's safe to go out."

He further commended the bravery shown by countless Americans, including first responders and volunteers, during these testing times. Meanwhile, CBS News reports, based on data from GasBuddy, that over 23 percent of Florida's fuel stations were out of gas as of Wednesday morning, with shortages more severe around Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, where over 59 percent were reported dry, reflecting an uptick since the previous night.

Additional tornado warnings have been announced for various cities, supplementing the existing hurricane and storm surge alerts already affecting multiple areas. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)