Florida Battered By Hurricane, Floods But Spared 'worst-case Scenario'

Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'

Sarasota, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Oct, 2024) Hurricane Milton tore a coast-to-coast path of destruction across the US state of Florida, whipping up a spate of deadly tornadoes that left at least four people dead, but avoiding the catastrophic devastation officials had feared.

"The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst-case scenario," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference.

Milton made landfall Wednesday night on the Florida Gulf Coast as a major Category 3 storm, with sustained, powerful winds smashing inland through communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, before roaring off Florida's east coast into the Atlantic.

Across the storm's path, roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines and some three million people were without power as of Thursday morning.

On a street near Sarasota Bay, Kristin Joyce, a 72-year-old interior designer who opted not to evacuate, took photos of tree branches snapped by the wind.

"This is very tragic, especially for an area that relies on a lot of tourism and real estate," she told AFP, surveying the damage.

"There is no question it needs to be a serious wake-up call for everyone in terms of climate change."

A few miles away, wind uprooted large trees and ripped apart the roof at the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, and sent a construction crane falling onto a downtown building nearby.

In Clearwater on the west coast, emergency crews in rescue boats were out at first light, plucking stranded residents trapped in their homes by more than a meter (yard) of floodwater.

President Joe Biden, who said he spoke with DeSantis Thursday, urged people to stay inside in the aftermath of the storm, with downed power lines and debris "creating dangerous conditions."

In a video posted on social media, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for Florida residents affected by the storm and urged them to vote for him.

"Hopefully, on January 20th you're going to have somebody that's really going to help you and help you like never before," the former president said, referring to the date when US presidents are inaugurated.