Hurricane Milton Leaves Millions Without Power And Several Dead

What to know about Hurricane Milton

1. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm.
2. At least 10 people died from the storm, officials confirmed to CBS News.
3. Milton moved across the Florida peninsula Thursday and over the Atlantic Ocean.
4. Maps show Milton could still flood parts of Florida's Gulf Coast with storm surge as high as 3 to 5 feet.
5. More than 3 million customers were without power in Florida on Thursday, according to utility tracker Find Energy.
6. Follow live updates below.

Florida resident "Lieutenant Dan" recounts riding out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat

Joseph Malinowski, a 54-year-old Tampa resident known locally as "Lieutenant Dan," weathered Hurricane Milton aboard his small sailboat in Tampa Bay. His refusal to evacuate went viral on social media as he said he wouldn't leave his boat. 

Malinowski told CBS News he was unfazed, describing the experience as "pretty mellow," even though his boat was repeatedly slammed against a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.

"I'm not scared of anything," Malinowski said, after staying through Helene and Milton. If another hurricane strikes, his plans remain the same: "I'm going to stay on the boat, no matter what," Malinowski said. 

Read more here.

Driver dies in central Florida after falling tree hit his car

A 46-year-old man from Inverness, a city around 75 miles north of Tampa, died overnight after a falling tree collided with his car while he was driving, a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol told CBS News. The driver's death is the first one confirmed in Citrus County, Florida, tied to Hurricane Milton.

Sgt. Steve Gaskins, the Highway Patrol spokesperson, said in an email that the man was driving east near a wildlife preserve at around 1:30 a.m. when his vehicle collided with a falling tree.

The man "suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash," Gaskins said. He told CBS News a medical examiner will determine a cause of death for the driver, who was not identified.

Milton becomes a post-tropical cyclone

Milton became a post-tropical cyclone Thursday as it traveled farther out over the Atlantic Ocean, on a path that should see it pass north of the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon.

The storm is gradually weakening and, as of 2 p.m. EDT, had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, just above the 74 mph threshold to be considered hurricane-force, according to the National Hurricane Center. It continues to fuel tropical-storm conditions and storm surge along parts of the southeastern U.S. coast.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 70 miles from Milton's center, and tropical storm-force winds extended up to 310 miles from the center, forecasters said.

4 storm-related deaths confirmed in Volusia County

Four people died in Volusia County as a result of Hurricane Milton, a spokesperson for the local medical examiner's office told CBS News.

Located along the coast some 50 miles from Orlando, Volusia County includes cities like Daytona Beach. The region experienced powerful winds, heavy rain and inundation from floodwaters as Milton tracked eastward, in addition to surf conditions and storm surge that forecasters with the National Weather Service described as "extremely dangerous" and "life-threatening."

Karla Orozco, operations manager at the medical examiner's office in Daytona, said the office has had four Milton-related deaths in an email Thursday afternoon. Orozco did not provide details about the incidents.

"Still very dangerous conditions" in Florida, Biden says

President Biden urged Floridians to wait to hear from their local leaders before going out into Hurricane Milton's aftermath.

"There are still very dangerous conditions in the state, and people should wait to be given the all-clear by their leaders before they go out," Mr. Biden said. "We know from previous hurricanes that it's often the case that more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself."

2 confirmed dead in St. Petersburg

Two people in St. Petersburg were confirmed dead after Milton ripped through the city.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said one of the deceased was found dead in a park, and the medical examiner has not yet ruled on a cause of death.

Holloway characterized the other death as medical. He did not share details about the nature or circumstances surrounding either incident when he announced them during a news conference Thursday morning. The police chief also did not reveal the identities of those who died.

"We did lose two people during this storm," Holloway said. "Two people lost their loved ones."

Four people were previously confirmed dead in southeastern Florida's St. Lucie County, where a dozen tornadoes linked to Milton developed Wednesday, officials said.

Dog rescued from Milton rubble

A dog was rescued Thursday morning from the rubble of a home hit by a tornado at a 55-and-older retirement community with some help from a CBS News Miami crew.

A resident found the dog, Benji, at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village retirement community near Fort Piece.

CBS News Miami reporter Morgan Rynor was on the scene while appearing live on "CBS Mornings."

"I cannot believe I am starting this right now with some happy news," Rynor said during the segment.

Read more here.

Power company focused on restoring electricity to critical facilities, executive says

Millions across Florida were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to the utility tracker Find Energy.

Many of the customers experiencing outages live in places that sustained serious damage from Milton, like Tampa Bay and Sarasota. Several of those counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee, were reporting around 75% or more of their individual energy customers didn't have electricity.

Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy's Florida president, told "CBS Mornings" the company will prioritize critical facilities as it works to restore the electrical grid for the region.

"We have damage assessment underway. We are using people on the ground. We're using drones, helicopters," Seixas said. "We are also actively restoring with a focus on critical care facilities, and other critical facilities like hospitals, flu stations, water treatment plants, shelters."

Video shows massive crane collapsed onto St. Petersburg office building

A crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg as Milton ripped through the city, crashing onto an office building and sending debris onto the road below.

Social media video shared by the city showed some of the damage in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas the morning after the hurricane, including the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium, Tropicana Field, with its roof torn off and stadium lights exposed.

The stadium was being used to shelter thousands of linemen and National Guard members who responded to the storm. But Gov. Ron DeSantis' spokesperson said they had relocated before the roof was destroyed.

"We love you, St. Pete," the city of St. Petersburg wrote on social media. "It's been a tough few weeks, but we're still with you - we're ready to recover and rebuild."

Crews were assessing the damage early Thursday, officials said. Residents were asked to stay home until they determined roads were safe.

Still a hurricane, Milton moves farther into the Atlantic

The center of Milton moved farther into the Atlantic on Thursday morning after moving off the coast of eastern Florida, the National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m. EDT.

It was still a hurricane, a low-end Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, on a track expected to carry it past the Bahamas and then farther out to sea.

Even offshore, Milton is causing ongoing tropical storm conditions along coastal portions of the southeast U.S. and northwestern Bahamas, according to the hurricane center.

Forecasters say the storm is taking on extratropical characteristics on its way out, but warn Milton "will still be a powerful post-tropical cyclone." Winds are expected to weaken gradually over the next few days.

Sarasota emergency chief says damaged bridge hampering response efforts

The emergency management chief for Sarasota County said she was concerned about some islands off Florida's west coast Thursday morning after Milton made landfall.

Sandra Tapfumaneyi said on "CBS Mornings" that crews weren't able to reach at least a couple hundred people on Lido Key and Longboat Key because a bridge was damaged during the storm.

"So we're concerned, just because we can't get over to them just yet," Tapfumaneyi said. "We had some reports coming in of … higher flooding along some of our creeks, so, you know, there are certainly some areas, some pockets that we're concerned about."

Rescue efforts underway as coastal county faces severe flooding

Video from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office showed rescuers preparing to traverse a flooded street by boat Thursday morning, as the region grapples with some of the most significant inundation tied to the hurricane.

Pinellas County is located across the bay from Tampa, along the coast, and includes cities like Clearwater and St. Petersburg. It was hit hard by Milton, with the sheriff's office reporting widespread electrical outages and sharing photos of roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as well as other debris. Some images appear to show vehicles almost completely submerged in water.

Over a foot of rain floods roads in St. Petersburg

Milton dropped at least 18 inches of rain on parts of St. Petersburg overnight, officials said. It was the highest rainfall total recorded since the hurricane struck Florida.

Emergency management officials in Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, urged residents to stay off flooded roads early Thursday morning.

"Over 18" of rain and gusts to 101 MPH in parts of @StPeteFL as #Milton moved through the area," officials wrote in a social media post. "As such, widespread damages, flooding, and dangerous debris is being reported all around."

The hurricane brought roughly a foot of rainfall to sections of western and central Florida over the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Places around Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg saw the most accumulation compared with the rest of the state, but 17.6 inches were recorded near Albert Whitted Airport on the shores of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg — the greatest by far.

Wind speeds topped 100 mph in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Petersburg

Wind speeds neared or topped 100 mph in western Florida Wednesday night. The most powerful winds whipped past maritime stations at Egmont Channel and Skyway Fishing Pier at the mouth of Tampa Bay as Milton was making landfall, according to the National Weather Service in Tampa.

Skyway Fishing Pier recorded a gust of 103 mph at 8:30 p.m., around the time Milton struck Siesta Key, and Egmont Channel recorded another gust of 105 mph about 45 minutes later. The latter reading was the highest of the night.

Gusts recorded elsewhere in the region were almost as strong. Tampa, Sarasota and St. Petersburg each recorded winds of around 100 mph before midnight.

4 dead after tornadoes hit St. Lucie County

Four people were killed when a dozen tornadoes associated with Hurricane Milton ripped through St. Lucie County in southeastern Florida Wednesday, a county official confirmed Thursday morning.

County spokesperson Erick Gill told CBS News Miami at least one of the deaths occurred in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, a senior mobile home community near Fort Pierce.

Sheriff Keith Pearson told CBS West Palm Beach affiliate WPEC-TV it was "like nothing other we've seen." He said all 12 twisters hit in a 20-minute span.

Read more here. 

15, including kids, rescued from home in Tampa

Tampa police say they rescued 15 people, including multiple children, from a single-family home after a tree crashed onto it.

Police Chief Lee Bercaw told reporters water was coming into the house.

The officers were sheltering less than two miles away when the 911 call came in and raced to get the people out as soon as there was a break in Milton's storm bands.

They took the occupants to a shelter in a nearby elementary school.

Police added that, "One officer took the time to ensure the main power to the home was turned off before leaving."

The department posted video of the rescue.

How to help those affected by Hurricane Milton

Several organizations are preparing to assist households hit by Milton. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous disaster recovery centers throughout the state. The White House said Wednesday that FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts. 

Information about how to access shelters and apply for assistance can be found at disasterassistance.gov. Residents can also call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.

The American Red Cross is collecting donations to provide shelter and supplies for those affected by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene. 

The Florida Disaster Fund has said it will distribute donations to service organizations that help people with disaster response and recovery. Collected donations will be used for those affected by Milton and Helene, the fund said.

Read more here.

Hurricane Milton now a Category 1 storm, moving offshore

After making landfall in Florida with a Category 3 status, Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved across the state.

As of 5 a.m. Eastern Time, Milton had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and was moving off Florida's east coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Milton's center was some 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral. The storm picked up speed as it made its way across the peninsula and was moving northeast at a brisk 18 mph clip.

It was "still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida," the hurricane center said, adding that Milton's center "will move away from Florida and to the north of the Bahamas today. Gradual weakening is expected, but Milton is forecast to become a powerful extratropical low tonight."

Milton made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. 

Under the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a Category 1 hurricane is defined as having maximum sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph.

Roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg heavily damaged by Milton

The roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton Wednesday night, according to video obtained by CBS Tampa affiliate WTSP.

Video showed parts of the roof of the stadium, which is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appearing to have been torn to shreds or torn off altogether.

WTSP reported that Tropicana Field had previously served as a staging area for thousands of lineman and National Guard members who were preparing to respond to Milton, with photos showing rows of cots lining the field. 

A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told WTSP that the lineman's staging area had been relocated prior to the damage. 

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue later confirmed that there were no injuries in the incident.

The fire department also said there were no injuries when a construction crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Times says a crane collapse during Milton left "a gaping hole in an office building that houses several businesses" including the Times, but the building had closed before Milton hit and no one was in the paper's newsroom when the crane came down.

St. Petersburg shuts off water service due to main break

A significant water main break forced the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, to shut off drinking water service early Thursday morning. 

The citywide shutoff began at midnight Wednesday in order "to address the issue and prevent further complications," the city announced in a statement. 

The city said repairs would begin as soon as it was safe for utility crews to be outside, adding that "temporary shutdown was expected to last until the necessary repairs can be completed."

A boil water notice was also being put in place until further notice. 

Biden briefed on Milton after it makes landfall

The White House said President Biden was briefed on Hurricane Milton after it made landfall Wednesday evening.

A White House spokesperson told CBS News in a statement that the briefing on the initial impact of the storm was conducted by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Biden delivered remarks about Milton in which he said his administration would offer support "for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild." 

The president said there were 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to be delivered, and said the Pentagon has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters and water vehicles.

Tornadoes leave several injured in Palm Beach County

Multiple people were injured when tornadoes ripped through Palm Beach County on Florida's east coast Wednesday night, damaging homes and buildings in the process, officials said. 

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said that just after 5 p.m. local time it responded to "multiple reports of tornadoes, associated injuries and trapped people" in various areas.

"Our crews on the scene reported several damaged homes, vehicles picked up and moved, and debris all over the area," the fire department said in a news release.

About 40 responding units rescued people from damaged structures and vehicles, the fire department said. One person was rescued from an overturned RV.

"Some were trapped under rubble or stuck in overturned vehicles tossed by the strong winds," the fire department said.

Five people, including three trauma patients, were transported to local hospitals, the fire department reported.

There were at least 20 confirmed tornadoes in Florida Wednesday, according to CBS Mornings weather producer Elie Morrison. 

Milton weakens to Category 2

Hurricane Milton had sustained winds of 110 mph as of 10 p.m. ET, making the storm a Category 2 hurricane — which is defined as a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 96-110 mph.

Related: Travis Meyer Details Hurricane Milton As It Makes Landfall In Florida.

Milton had made landfall earlier in the evening as a Category 3 storm, considered a major hurricane, with 120 mph winds.

Milton makes landfall as Category 3 storm

Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. 

Milton had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it made landfall, making it a "dangerous Category 3 storm," the center said. 

Siesta Key is a barrier island located just south of Sarasota. 

Tampa seeing 3 to 5 inches of rain per hour

The Tampa metropolitan area was seeing between three and five inches of rain per hour, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, told CBS News Wednesday night after Hurricane Milton made landfall.

"To put that in context, because you might not be used to hearing those types of numbers, that's two and three times the normal rain rate, or speed, that rain would fall from just a traditional thunderstorm," Rhome explained. "And when rain falls that fast, that hard on an urban area, you almost get an instant flood, it has nowhere to go, you just get this instant flash flooding, and you're seeing that unfold all throughout the Tampa Bay area as we speak."

The National Hurricane Center said a flash flood emergency was in effect for the Tampa area at 10 p.m. ET. 

Rhome said that the "shield of heavy rain" would move northeast along the Interstate 4 corridor overnight, also hitting Lakeland and Orlando.

"It is absolutely unsafe to be out of your house and driving in those conditions," Rhome said.

Rhome expected the I-4 corridor to see "catastrophic flooding" as a result, and emphasized that Milton would remain a hurricane as it traverses the Florida peninsula.

"And you on the Florida east coast, if you think you're out of the woods, this is a Florida west coast problem, no, you're going to have hurricane-force winds all the way over on the Florida east coast," Rhome said. 

Injuries reported, homes damaged in Martin County, Florida

Several injuries, both serious and minor, have been reported in Martin County, Florida, as a result of Hurricane Milton. No fatalities had been reported as of Wednesday night, Martin County Fire Rescue said.

Martin County Fire Rescue also said it estimated dozens of homes had been damaged, "some severely," by the storm.

Martin County is located on Florida's east coast, north of Palm Beach.

Fort Myers neighborhood sees heavy damage from suspected tornado

A suspected tornado touched down in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall later Wednesday night, one of several which were believed to have touched down statewide, CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdes reports.

A doorbell camera captured footage of the damage as it whipped through palm trees in the neighborhood and ripped off the roof of a home. The extent of the damage was still unknown. It was unclear if there were any injuries.  

More than 100 tornado warnings blared across the state earlier in the day. In the southeastern Florida county of St. Lucie, there were "multiple reports of tornadoes touching down," county spokesperson Erick Gill told CBS News by email Wednesday evening.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson feared the worst for those still in the city Wednesday night.

"I'm praying for their safety, and I hope they survive," Anderson told CBS News.

All the debris from both Hurricane Helene and the suspected tornadoes could put even inland communities at risk of even more damage as powerful winds from Milton are expected to continue well into Thursday.

FEMA chief says its Disaster Relief Fund depleted by Helene response

Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell indicated in a briefing Wednesday that the agency's Disaster Relief Fund could face a funding crisis. 

Criswell said the agency currently has about $9 billion in its coffers after it spent about $11 billion responding to Hurricane Helene.

"I'm going to have to evaluate how quickly we're burning the remaining dollars within the Disaster Relief Fund, to see if I'm going to have to go back in and ask for additional funding sooner than what Congress is planning on right now."

CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane reports that, according to congressional sources, FEMA could receive enough funding to respond to both Helene and Milton in the near term, but the agency may have to pull back on other long-term response efforts from previous emergencies in other parts of the country.

MacFarlane also reports that the Small Business Administration, which provides disaster loans to homeowners and small businesses, could also run out of money before Congress reconvenes after the November election.