Hurricane Milton carves deadly path through Florida, millions without power

Following a three-day flight suspension due to Hurricane Milton, Tampa International Airport announced it is planning to reopen and resume flights on Friday morning.

However, airport officials said the extreme wind gusts and heavy rainfall from the Category 3 storm impacted several areas of the airport that will need repairs.

"Airport partners are also evaluating staffing levels after one of the biggest evacuation events in recent Tampa Bay history," the airport said in a press release on Thursday evening.

Over 2,270 flights were canceled as of Thursday, according to tracking software FlightAware.

Airports in Orlando, Tampa, and elsewhere grounded flights throughout the week. In Miami alone, 148 flights were canceled.

Tampa International Airport was hardest hit, with 380 flights canceled as of Thursday.

Winds reached 120 mph as Hurricane Milton made landfall in western Florida on Wednesday evening. Milton also created at least three tornadoes in South Florida.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

A dangerous tornado was spotted moving through Wellington, Florida Wednesday in advance of Hurricane Milton.

Milton made landfall in the Tampa area as a Category 3 Storm Wednesday evening.

The storm spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes that wreaked havoc across the Sunshine State.

At least five people were killed when a tornado hit in the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on the Atlantic Coast.

After Hurricane Milton has passed through Florida, causing widespread destruction, photos are now emerging showing the extent of the damage.

Photos from AP show streets completely flooded, with cars almost entirely submerged in water.

Though the storm has passed, millions remain without power. The storm has torn homes into pieces, filled streets with mud and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.

At least six people are dead, and at least 3 million were left without power as the storm flooded barrier islands, torn the roof off a baseball stadium, and toppled a construction crane.

The Sarasota Police Department shared a video on Thursday showing how they are surveying damage done by Hurricane Milton.

“Our priority is the preservation of life & after a severe weather event like Milton, our officers are quick to respond. Sarasota Police officers patrolled St. Armands and Lido today to check on any residents who remained,” the department wrote in a post on X.

“Unlike recent storms, water rescues were not necessary,” the post continued.

The video shows the officers riding through the community on four-wheelers and showing all the damage the storm left behind.

Police said they were also thankful that residents listened to their evacuation orders.

“We are grateful people heeded evacuation orders!” police said.

Police added that access to those islands is not permitted yet, but they are working quickly to allow for a safe return.

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew hoisted a man to safety after he was found clinging to a cooler about 30 miles off Longboat Key, Florida.

In the video, a Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Miami is seen approaching the man clinging to a cooler as a member of the crew is lowered into the water.

The crew member is shown swimming over to the man in distress, before the video ends.

According to the Coast Guard, the man was spotted Thursday about 30 miles off Longboat Key, and taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical treatment.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner.

All three Orlando-based theme parks were forced to close due to Hurricane Milton, but have announced that all the parks will resume operations on Friday.

“We’re grateful Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm. Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs will reopen on Friday, October 11 for the scheduled operating hours. Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm,” Disney announced in a statement on Thursday.

Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida late Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph, leaving around 3.2 million people in Florida without power as the storm has devastated Florida's coast.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed there have been at least 11 fatalities with more expected.

Authorities in North Carolina on Thursday confirmed at least 91 storm-related fatalities from Hurricane Helene but still could not account for the number of those who remain missing or unaccounted for. 

Fatalities were reported across 20 counties, according to a Thursday afternoon update from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

The vast majority of those fatalities were reported in Buncombe, with 42 deaths, followed by Yancey and Henderson, at 10 and 7, respectively. 

Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows National Guard troops in Seminole County, Florida helping residents who have been impacted by Hurricane Milton.

The video shows troops clearing streets of debris, putting back road signs, and assisting residents with other needs – at times wading through flooded roadways on foot.

 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday afternoon that Florida National Guard, along with state law enforcement, and urban search-and-rescue teams are continuing to work throughout the day, engaged in at least 125 missions across 26 counties.

Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., on Thursday described Hurricane Milton as a “harsh 1, 2 punch” when assessing its damage during an appearance on Fox News’ “American Reports.”

Castor said that Hurricane Helene, which walloped Florida late last month, affected “tens of thousands” of her neighbors.

“Now [Hurricane] Milton, we are grappling with widespread power outages, fuel shortages. But my hat is off to the first responders … doing search and rescue now, all of our local law enforcement,” Castor said. “It has been a very robust response from the local level to the state and the Biden-Harris administration and FEMA. And we’re going to need help for the long-term recovery as well.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that while some of Hurricane Milton’s worst case scenarios did not come to pass, flooding is still a threat and urged residents in the affected areas to shelter in place. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave an update on Hurricane Milton Thursday afternoon after it made landfall the night before as a Category 3 Storm.

By Thursday afternoon, the governor said, at least 340 individuals and 49 pets had been rescued. Florida National Guard, Florida law enforcement, and urban search and rescue teams were continuing to work through the day. Hundreds of rescuers were engaged in more than 125 missions in 26 counties.

“The northern side of the storm had a lot of precipitation. They were just getting water dumped on them. So, whereas [Hurricane] Helene created a lot of storm surge in that part of the state, this one didn’t do that here, but it create inland flooding,” DeSantis said.

Around 4 million were left without power. As of the 3 p.m. update, around 880,000 had been restored, with 3.2 million accounts still without power.

DeSantis said that while Hurricane Milton did inflict damage, “I think in some areas that in terms of what was being predicted, some of the worst case scenarios did not come to pass, certainly in terms of some of the storm surge people were predicting.”

Hurricane Milton has exited Florida’s east coast, but major flooding continues along Hillsborough, Saint John’s and the Little rivers. Water levels are forecasted to continue rising.

“Residents in these areas should continue to shelter in place until officials deem it safe to go outside,” Florida Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said.

Gov. DeSantis warned people against taking advantage of a dire situation.

“I’m warning you, don’t do that. If you loot, you will be held accountable. If you’re doing things that violate the law, if you’re gonna try to take advantage of vulnerable people, we’re going to throw the book at you,” DeSantis said.  “We even had some jackass, chain a dog to a pole. As the storm was coming Florida Highway Patrol rescued the dog.”

The Melbourne Orlando International Airport will reopen Friday at 9 a.m. after closing for Hurricane Milton.

The airport closed Wednesday in anticipation of the storm. Domestic arrivals were set to resume Thursday evening. Departures – both domestic and international – are set to resume on Friday.

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday evening.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said people should put Hurricane Milton "in perspective" in response to a reporter's question about climate change.

At a press conference on Thursday, DeSantis was asked whether "global warming" impacted the hurricane's intensity after Milton spawned several tornadoes that wreaked havoc in the Sunshine State.

DeSantis rejected the premise that Milton was worse than previous hurricanes, stating, "I think you can go back and find tornadoes for all of human history." 

Compared to previous storms, Milton had a barometric pressure of about 950 millibars when it made landfall, the governor said. "I think if you go back to 1851, there's probably been about 27 hurricanes that have had lower barometric pressure – so the lower the barometric pressure, the stronger it is." 

The governor noted that 17 hurricanes stronger than Milton made landfall in Florida prior to 1960 and that the strongest hurricane on record since the 1850s was the Labor Day hurricane, which occurred in 1935 and had a barometric pressure of 892 millibars. The most deadly hurricane in Florida history happened in 1928, he added.

"I just think people should put this in perspective there. They tried to take different things that happened with tropical weather and act like it's something – there's nothing new under the sun," DeSantis said. 

"I think what's changed is we've got 23 million people. A storm is likely to hit more people and property than it would have 100 years ago. And so the potential for that damage has grown, but what's also changed is our ability to do the prevention, to pre-stage the assets." 

FOX Corporation's donation drive for the American Red Cross’ Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts has raised $8.2 million and counting. 

FOX Corporation made a donation to the Red Cross Hurricane Helene relief efforts and continues to be an Annual Disaster Giving Program partner, urging viewers to also help people affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The program enables the Red Cross to respond immediately to disasters by providing safe shelter, hot meals, emotional support and resources to aid in recovery. 

More than 3 million people are without power and more than 100 rescue missions are underway Thursday in Florida after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key last night as a Category 3 storm, generating tornadoes that left four people dead in St. Lucie County.

Duke Energy President Melissa Seixas told "Fox & Friends" that more 800,000 of its customers are without power across 35 counties in the state. In St. Petersburg, where the roof was torn off the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field, 18 inches of rain was recorded over a 24-hour span, according to FOX Weather.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Brian Flood.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas indicated Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Association will need additional funds from Congress in the wake of hurricane season.

Mayorkas provided an update on hurricane recovery efforts at the daily White House press briefing, where he said FEMA is prepared to assist Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Milton. 

"We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton and the associated – it's very important to remember the tornadoes associated with the hurricane," Mayorkas said. "That being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore Congress when it returns to, in fact, fund FEMA as is needed."

Later on in response to a reporter's question, Mayorkas said a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels "is not stable footing for the work that we do in disaster response." 

"That is why I underscore the need for Congress to act swiftly upon its return." 

A number of companies are stepping up to assist Florida communities sitting in the path of yet another devastating hurricane by donating to relief organizations and sending essential supplies to affected areas.

Hurricane Milton, the second hurricane to slam Florida in a few week's time, made landfall on Wednesday evening. Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida late last month before moving into Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia, and killing more than 200 people.

CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot, Walmart and more companies are stepping up to help impacted communities.

CVS said it's reaching out to patients by text message, email and phone to remind them to refill and pick up prescriptions. It's pharmacy benefit manager, Caremark, is also allowing pharmacy claims for one-time emergency refills of a 10-day supply of medication for plan members in impacted areas, the company said.

Its stores are also receiving extra emergency supplies, such as water, batteries and first aid products. CVS said its stores comply with all local evacuation orders and that if there are mandatory closures, stores will reopen as soon as they are safe to do so. 

Home Depot said it pre-positions trucks that are filled with supplies outside the hurricane strike zone so it can get in with essential products as soon as possible. To date, over 500 truckloads of essential storm prep supplies have been sent to potentially impacted areas. 

Since Hurricane Helene made landfall last month, Walmart opened up store and club parking lots across Appalachia and the Southeast to serve as charging stations and so residents can receive a hot meal and water. Many parking lots also allow storm victims to take showers and even do their laundry.

The company plans to offer the same services in parking lots across communities impacted by Milton after the storm passes. In the meantime, the company said it's currently working to prepare employees in the path of Milton, including offering evacuation assistance to those in mandatory evacuation zones.

FOX Business' Daniella Genovese contributed to this update.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday confirmed there have been at least five reported fatalities in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

"As people know, we've had massive power outages, which was expected. I'd say this is probably similar to Hurricanes Irma and Ian in terms of the number of outages I think we're up to," DeSantis said at a noon press conference in Fort Pierce.

The governor said 3.4 million people are currently without power, although 700,000 have had their power restored since the storm made landfall. He noted that 50,000 linemen were pre-staged throughout the state to quickly respond to outages.

"We're also assessing the need for things like points of distribution. We typically will set up these pods with water, food, tarps, things of that nature. I think we will be doing some pods. A lot of this is based on what the counties ask us for. But I also think you're probably going to see a lot of the stores and gas stations reopen very quickly. At least that's our hope," DeSantis said. 

He repeated his earlier assessment that the storm "did not produce the worst case scenario in terms of storm surge," noting that predictions of 15 ft. storm surge in some areas of eastern Florida did not come to fruition. 

Former President Trump posted a message about Hurricane Milton on social media, saying he and his wife, Melania, are "deeply saddened by the devastation being reported." 

"Melania and I are praying for you as you face the aftermath of Hurricane Milton," Trump said.

"Our hearts go out to each and every one of you. To those who have lost so much, know that you are not alone. We've seen you stand tall against storms before, and you will stand tall now. And hopefully on January 20th, you're going to have somebody that's really going to help you and help you like never before. Because help is on the way. 

"Together, we will rebuild. We will recover, and we will come back stronger, bigger, better than ever before. Please keep your faith, hold strong and look out for one another because the sun will shine again over the beautiful Florida that we love so much. I live there. Also, we love it so much. You're in our thoughts and together we will come back better than before. Are you going to be better than before? And just keep your chin up and God bless you all and God bless the great state of Florida."

Trump went on to say that Gov. Ron DeSantis is "doing an excellent job." 

A fifth fatality has been reported in Polk County after Hurricane Milton swept through Florida. 

At least four other people were killed in northern Fort Pierce after tornadoes broke out Wednesday spawned by the hurricane, FOX Weather reported.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office confirmed a fifth death to FOX Weather but was unable to provide additional details.

Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier said the state has not officially confirmed any fatalities, but “that does not mean there has not been any." 

Multiple rescue operations are underway in Florida to assist residents trapped by flooding or fallen debris.

More than 100 residents were rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa, according to a social media post by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

The sheriff’s office and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue were out with amphibious equipment and the marine unit rescuing residents, Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the video.

It shows deputies in nearly waist-deep water outside the facility and residents with walkers being carried away on boats. The video shows flooded streets and parking lots and rescue workers with a boat floating next to a partially submerged flight of stairs helping an apartment building resident in a life jacket wrap up her cat.

“This is extraordinary to see this type of flooding, especially in this type of area. The University of South Florida area is normally a dry area,” Chronister said in the video. "To see this unprecedented flooding, I can only imagine how scary it was.”

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida late Wednesday night and residents in areas impacted by the life-threatening storm are likely to see disruptions to gasoline supplies until the storm has passed and shipments resume.

Gas shortages were reported at stations in parts of central Florida earlier this week as residents in the area filled up their tanks and hit the road for destinations outside of Milton's path. Others stocked up on gasoline to fuel generators that would be relied upon to keep the lights on in the event of a power outage.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, said that industry members are working with government officials on addressing supply issues and to set the stage for a return to normal operations once it's possible.

"Our industry is closely monitoring Hurricane Milton and will work with state and federal officials to help alleviate supply issues and enable normal operations to resume as quickly and safely as possible after the storm has passed," said API spokesperson Scott Lauermann in a statement to FOX Business

This is an excerpt from a FOX Business article by Eric Revell.