The death toll from Hurricane Milton has risen to at least 14 after another fatality was reported in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, CNN reported. A woman in her late 70s lost her life while working on post-hurricane restoration efforts when a large tree branch fell on her. This incident occurred shortly after 11:00 am ET on Thursday, as stated in a news release from the city.
“Although the storm has passed, its devastation has tragically taken the life of one of our community members,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve their loved one.” More than 2.9 million utility customers across Florida were without power. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, down from the initial Category 5, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Twenty-five people have been rescued from a mobile home park in St. Lucie County that left six dead, the county Sheriff Keith Pearson told CNN. While officials don’t have an exact number of people they are looking for, crews are going through the rubble of destroyed homes to try to find others, Pearson said. But the conditions of the search make it difficult.
US President Joe Biden also advised people to stay safe amid Hurricane Milton. Sharing a post on X, he wrote, “To everyone impacted by Hurricane Milton: I urge you to stay inside and off the roads. Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions. Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it’s safe to go out.”
In another post, he said, “As difficult as these past days have been, we’ve seen incredible courage from so many Americans coming together–first responders, friends, families, and neighbors looking out for one another. To all the people impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene: We’ve got your back.”
As of Wednesday morning, a little over 23 per cent of Florida gas stations were without fuel, including more than 59 per cent in the area around Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, CBS News reported, citing GasBuddy. Those numbers had witnessed a rise since Tuesday night. Tornado warnings were issued for various cites, in addition to hurricane and storm surge warnings already in place for many of those same places.
