More than 1 million in Florida without power from Hurricane Milton as death toll rises, recovery continues

TAMPA, Fla. — Days after deadly Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida as a Category 3 storm with over 100 mph winds, near-record storm surge and a historic tornado outbreak that left nearly 4 million without power, normalcy still eludes much of the state as recovery efforts continue.

The death toll from the storm was at least 21 people as of Saturday afternoon, several of the victims from strong tornadoes that swept through the state ahead of Milton's landfall. At least two were killed by falling trees; another by stepping on an active downed power line in the storm’s aftermath, officials said.

As residents in several communities survey and clean up the damage left behind on both coasts, widespread power outages were still adding to the woes. Tens of thousands of linemen have swarmed the state, restoring power to more than 2 million customers since Milton’s Wednesday landfall.

But that left roughly 1.5 million still without power Saturday morning, including about a million in the Tampa Bay-Sarasota area, which took the brunt of the storm’s winds and hit with downed trees and power lines.

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The outages have affected fuel distribution at ports around Tampa Bay, with reports of as many as 75% of gas stations closed or without fuel as of Friday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday the state is working to get fuel to stations and is also setting up fuel depots in hard-hit areas that will provide 10 gallons of free fuel per person.

Historic Tornado Outbreak Levels Multiple Neighborhoods

Hours before Hurricane Milton’s powerful eye wall even touched Florida’s western shores, the storm’s ferocious outer bands wreaked havoc across the central and southern peninsula, spawning a record-breaking tornado outbreak.

Three Florida National Weather Service offices combined to issue 126 Tornado Warnings — a record for one day in Florida.

"These tornadoes were more energetic because Milton was starting the early stages of becoming a non-tropical system," FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan said.

He noted that ahead of Milton making landfall, the jet stream was injecting energy into the hurricane. Dry air was also present, which rose and twisted. Altogether, the elements were those often seen during a tornado outbreak in the spring.

RECORD FLOODING, SLOW-TO-RECEDE RIVERS STILL PLAGUE FLORIDA 

Dozens of tornadoes were reported though the exact count remains to be determined. At least four communities reported significant tornado-related damage.

At least six people were killed by an EF-3 tornado that struck the Spanish Lakes neighborhood in St. Lucie County, according to the sheriff’s office - which also sustained heavy damage in the storm.

"The most impacted area is about a half-square-mile community made up of older modular homes that the tornado went through and just completely devastated it," St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said Wednesday.  "They're mangled there. There's people trapped underneath them."

Another tornado blasted the West Palm Beach neighborhood, leaving a trail of damage.  The storm was given a preliminary EF-3 rating — significant as less than 1% of tornadoes produced by hurricanes are given that high of a rating, according to Morgan.

In nearby Wellington, FOX Weather Meteorologist Kendall Smith said the scenes of destruction were surreal.

"The devastation I have just come upon is the most significant devastation that I’ve seen so far since I’ve been on the ground covering the aftermath of the tornadoes produced by Hurricane Milton," Smith said Friday.  One home along a ranch lost their entire roof, and cars were tossed several yards across the street.

Among the devastation and debris, another creature caught Smith’s attention: a teddy bear. She noted that it did not belong to the ranch owners. In fact, they found it lodged in the side of a wall, with its red lights lit up and singing the tune "Happy Birthday."

Yet another twister blasted through Fort Myers, leaving a trail of damage through one neighborhood. 

"The front door blew inside the house. So all of that breeze and that water was coming inside," said a storm victim.

Local NWS offices say a more accurate tornado count and specific tornado ratings are still coming due to fuel, travel and staffing challenges as a result of Milton.

100+ mph ferocious winds slam Tampa Bay Area

Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of the Tampa Area near Sarasota - sparing Tampa Bay from what was a potentially historic and devastating storm surge had the storm tracked just 25 miles farther north. But it was close enough to slam the area with triple-digit wind speeds.

Peak gusts hit 102 mph in St. Petersburg and 97 mph in Tampa.

The ferocious winds tore the roof off St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field, and toppled a massive crane from a building under construction in the downtown area. 

Skies lit afire in eerie blue hues — not lightning, but the constant explosions of electrical transformers that would leave well over a million in the Tampa Metro area in the dark.

In Sarasota, gusts also reached 102 mph, tearing the roof off the main concourse at the city’s airport, and leaving it closed into next week.

Storm Surge brings feet of water to the shores south of Milton

While Milton’s jog south spared Tampa Bay from potentially historic inundation from storm surge, a wall of water 5-10 feet deep still pushed onshore along a wide swath of Florida’s west coast.

Aside from renewed water damage, residents of Bonita Springs and Venice came home to find their homes and neighborhoods buried under feet of sand. It’s an unwanted parting gift from the Gulf of Mexico's storm surge, impacting what had already been extensive cleanup efforts from Hurricane Helene’s wrath just two weeks earlier.

"We just ended up cleaning this (house) out, finishing it up earlier this week, everything was completed," contractor Scott Roshak said as he stood in front of a home buried again in feet of sand. "The driveway was cleared down to the pavers. And now we have another 3 to 4 feet of sand to clear out of the entire horseshoe driveway. And now another 3 or 4 feet of sand that was in the garage now."

More than a foot of rain leads to hundreds of water rescues, extensive river flooding

While the tornadoes, storm surge and hurricane-force winds are long gone, flooding remains across several cities as 12-18 inches of rain struggles to drain from mainly flat river systems. Some rivers, like the St. Johns, set all-time flooding heights surpassing levels reached during Hurricane Ian.

The flooding has led to more than 1,000 water rescues across the region, with more than 700 occurring in Hillsborough County in the Tampa area, according to the sheriff's office.

The rescues ranged from a 91-year-old woman from a flooded home along the Alafia River to a massive rescue of more than 500 residents trapped in feet-deep waters of their flooded apartment complex in Clearwater. 

In addition, sinkholes have been popping up around Milton’s path, wiping out sidewalks, streets and even homes.

The NWS warns that flooding impacts could linger for days to weeks.