{"id":5543,"date":"2024-10-10T17:53:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=5543"},"modified":"2024-10-10T17:53:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T17:53:26","slug":"hurricane-milton-makes-landfall-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=5543","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As darkness descended, a powerful storm surged onto Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing with it deadly tornadoes and severe flooding that left millions without power and devastated communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane Milton, classified as a Category 3 storm, made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, Florida, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on October 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With winds surpassing 120 mph and relentless rain, the storm caused extensive damage, leading to over 1.1 million homes and businesses losing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

power, with the hardest-hit areas being Sarasota, Manatee, and Hardee counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) urged residents through an official Facebook post to remain in their shelters and stay alert as the storm continued its onslaught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the hurricane approached, multiple tornadoes tore through St. Lucie County, causing significant destruction and fatalities. Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed that “multiple fatalities” occurred at the Spanish Lakes Country Club, a senior living<\/p>\n\n\n\n

community near Fort Pierce. The exact death toll remains unclear as search and rescue teams<\/p>\n\n\n\n

continue to work tirelessly, listening for signs of life amidst the debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The damage in St. Lucie County has been extensive, with emergency responders operating non-stop to help those affected. Statewide, approximately 125 homes have been confirmed destroyed, with senior mobile home communities particularly affected, as reported by FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Governor Ron DeSantis noted that the storm had triggered 116 tornado warnings across the state, with 19 tornadoes officially touching down, further highlighting the wide-ranging effects of Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In St. Petersburg, the storm caused unprecedented flooding, with over nine inches of rain falling in just three hours, marking a rare one-in-1,000-year rainfall event. The city, along with Tampa and Clearwater, was included in a flash flood emergency issued by the National Hurricane Center on October 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Airport recorded 16.61 inches of rain in a single day, creating life-threatening conditions throughout the area. Wind gusts were also reported to reach 102 mph at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and 105 mph at Egmont Channel. At the time, Hurricane Milton was about 20 miles northeast of Sarasota, moving east-northeast at 16 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the extreme weather, the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flash floods, noting that the rainfall received in one day was equivalent to three months’ worth. Residents were urged to seek higher ground and avoid flood-prone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State and local authorities have initiated a large-scale emergency response, dispatching task forces and rescue teams to assist affected<\/p>\n\n\n\n

regions. Sheriff Pearson stressed that the primary focus was on “life safety” as rescuers continued to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

search for anyone who may be trapped beneath the wreckage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Hurricane Milton moved inland, its intensity weakened, but it remained a significant threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities continue to advise residents to stay updated on official communications and follow safety instructions as Florida grapples with the storm’s devastating aftermath.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As darkness descended, a powerful storm surged onto Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing with it deadly tornadoes and severe flooding that left millions without power and devastated communities…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5543"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5547,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5543\/revisions\/5547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}