Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, before weakening into a Category 1 storm and moving out to sea on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At least 14 people were confirmed dead, according to NBC News. Milton also spawned tornadoes, with over 150 tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service in Florida.
According to CNN, wind gusts reached up to 100 mph near Tampa Bay, where the roof was ripped off the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium Tropicana Field. The field was set to be a makeshift shelter for first responders in the area. No one was killed as the roof was torn away.
The storm left over 3 million homes and businesses without power, according to the Associated Press.
The storm resulted in a 1-in-1000-year rainfall event in St. Petersburg, dropping over 18 inches of rain in the “Sunshine City,” according to CNN.
340 people and 49 pets were rescued following Hurricane Milton, said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a press briefing Thursday afternoon.
President Joe Biden ordered thousands of federal personnel and over a thousand members of the National Guard to be deployed to areas affected by the storm, according to NBC News.
