As several major airports and tourist attractions in Florida reopened Friday, rescue crews continued to pull people from floodwaters and more than 2 million homes and businesses remained without power after deadly Hurricane Milton wrought widespread destruction across the peninsula.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds Wednesday night before carving a path of destruction across the state, drenching coastal and inland communities with rain and storm surge as its powerful winds caused blackouts and hurled large sailboats on to front yards.
Milton spawned a deadly tornado outbreak that killed at least six in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast. Crews with the Nation Weather Service were expected to survey damage Friday and determine exactly how many tornadoes had formed. Across the state, the storm has been tied to at least 16 deaths.
The Tampa Bay area, which is vulnerable to storm surge, avoided a worst-case scenario as Milton shifted south and pulled water away from the shoreline. Still, the storm’s winds sent a crane crashing into a downtown office building and shredded the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.
On Friday, flooding and uprooted trees left roads across the state impassable as cresting rivers triggered evacuations and rescue missions.
“There’s damage, there’s a lot that’s going to need to be done,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Friday. “We did not get the worst-case scenario but we did get hit and we’re going to have to work to bounce back.”
Developments:
◾ As of Friday morning, 2.2 million utility customers remained without power, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker.
◾Across the state, 19 school districts reopened Friday and an additional seven districts are expected to reopen on Monday, DeSantis said. He added that more will likely reopen Monday as the damage in some areas was not as bad as anticipated.
◾ In northeast Florida, coastal parts of Duval, Brevard, St. Johns and Volusia counties remain under a coastal flood advisory, warning of large breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet and life-threatening rip currents, according to the weather service.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando reopen after Hurricane Milton
Some of Florida’s largest theme parks, including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, reopened Friday after temporarily shutting down for Hurricane Milton.
Walt Disney World, which has only closed 11 times in its storied history, including for Milton, announced its theme parks and Disney Springs entertainment complex opened Friday.
Universal Orlando said its theme parks, as well as Volcano Bay and Halloween Horror Nights, also will resume normal operations.
SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica and Discovery Cove welcomed guests on Friday, though the park’s kid-friendly Spooktacular event was canceled.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay remained closed, and its Howl-O-Scream events were called off. Park officials said to monitor its website for updates.
1,600 people rescued so far after Hurricane Milton; more likely
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said rescue efforts were still underway across the state as crews cleared roads and thousands of linemen worked to restore power.
As of Friday morning, over 1,600 people and 140 animals were rescued from floodwaters and other hazards since Milton’s ferocious rains and winds began pummeling the state, DeSantis said.
Dozens of rescue crews were still working to assist people trapped in floodwaters, especially in areas where rivers have crested. At least 31 rescue helicopters and 31 vehicles were being used in the various operations, the governor said.
Since the storm moved into the Atlantic on Thursday afternoon, power has been restored to more than 1.6 million homes and businesses. Meanwhile, authorities have cleared 12,000 miles of roads and inspected at least 2,000 bridges.
Credit to :Christopher Cann, USA TODAY
Credit to ABC