36 Heart-Wrenching Photos That Show Hurricane Milton's Devastation In Florida
1. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a powerful category 3 storm in the Siesta Key area.
Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Siesta Key, FL as a Category 3 storm, with winds around 120 mph. More tonight at 10 & 11pm, and online at https://t.co/6L1iCBrVzl. pic.twitter.com/LqOkdyfNPI
— Paul ProTweet (@local12paul) October 10, 2024
2. Winds in some places were over 100 mph.
WIND | 100+ mph winds with Milton in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. We'll get our first look at the damage this morning as the sun comes up and recovery begins. @wmbfnews @jamiearnoldWMBF @jgreenhillwx pic.twitter.com/orkS86aV2V
— Andrew Dockery (@AndrewWMBF) October 10, 2024
3. But even before Milton arrived, there was a tornado outbreak that meteorologist Jim Cantore called the "pregame."
Lots and lots of tornadoes as part of the pregame. #milton pic.twitter.com/y23MySAl26
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) October 9, 2024
4. Here's what one looked like crossing I-75:
TORNADO crossing I-75 as we speak! Seek shelter NOW! pic.twitter.com/VYhef71ulX
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 9, 2024
5. By evening, Gov. DeSantis confirmed that 19 tornados had touched down.
19 tornados have been confirmed to have touched down in Florida due to Hurricane Milton, Gov. DeSantis says.Read more: https://t.co/BBvTystUOM pic.twitter.com/PB7uo0E1Pk
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 10, 2024
6. One of these tornados put a dumpster on top of a house:
Tornado hits Avenir in Palm Beach Gardens in my in-laws neighborhood. A dumpster gets lifted onto a roof. Unreal. @WPTV @SunSentinel @WPBF25News @wsvn @FOX29WFLX pic.twitter.com/jCvhMcKrUz
— Evan Rosenberg (@Evan_Rosenberg) October 10, 2024
7. And those are cars tossed around like Matchbox toys:
Tornado damage (and a lot of it) from #Hurricane #Milton. This is around Royal Palm Beach pic.twitter.com/w8ZrukZIPl
— harparr #IFBAP (@harparr1) October 10, 2024
8. Milton arrived and this is what the Sunshine Skyway Bridge looked like in Tampa:
Conditions at the Skyway Bridge pic.twitter.com/rEAiFicUDo
— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) October 9, 2024
9. The storm was so powerful that it literally sucked water out of Tampa Bay:
The water has been sucked out of Tampa Bay by Milton. Happened fast. pic.twitter.com/8ghtF5SZYx
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 10, 2024
10. The roof of Tropicana Field was ripped off.
Amazing image of the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, coming off from the impacts of Hurricane Milton. CBS News 24/7 | WTSP pic.twitter.com/pAvu3UL5zo
— Josh Pacheco (@Joshontheradio) October 10, 2024
11. A security agent captured this video from inside the arena:
One of my security agents inside @tropicanafield pic.twitter.com/eFyHOvPZQm
— Ryan Stryker (@Stryker175) October 10, 2024
12.Here's what the stadium looked like in the morning:
13.I don't think that's a view anyone ever expected to see:
14. I'm sure you've seen Anderson Cooper getting battered by the storm, like he's just next to a falling palm tree:
Assuming Anderson Cooper isn’t swept out to sea tonight, our next group watch of him will be when he’s drunk off one shot of tequila on NYE. Man contains multitudes. pic.twitter.com/KxDBkpKUuq
— shealagh 🪷 (@shealaghwrites) October 10, 2024
15. Meteorologist Steve Petyerak captured this terrifying video of storm surge rushing into a parking garage:
Live with @JimCantore in Port Charlotte, FL where the surge is rising from #HurricaneMilton pic.twitter.com/kJyk4OyuUL
— Steve Petyerak (@StevePetyerak) October 10, 2024
16. There also appeared to be major storm surge into Fort Myers Beach:
MAJOR STORM SURGE moving into Fort Myers Beach.This is at Margaritaville facing north towards Times Square. 📸 Beach Talk Radio#MILTON #flwx pic.twitter.com/dndDN7kVRB
— Dylan Federico (@DylanFedericoWX) October 9, 2024
17. Punta Gordo appeared to be under water:
Punta Gorda pic.twitter.com/vbeYrdJKCl
— Patrick Sonsalla (@Shmoooo) October 10, 2024
18. Sinkholes opened:
Sinkhole in District 5. Please stay vigilant and mindful as you assess damage around your homes. Avoid touching downed wires and be cautious of potential hazards. pic.twitter.com/MvbyaKa5gF
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 10, 2024
19. Streets in South Tampa were littered with bricks:
South Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard is littered with bricks and barren trees as Hurricane Milton slammed into the state. Go to Spectrum News' app and website for the latest. pic.twitter.com/ggl7gIgr3S
— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) October 10, 2024
20. And a crane fell in downtown St. Pete.
A crane at 400 Central just fell into the office building at 490 1st Ave S. This is the view from McNulty Lofts pic.twitter.com/p5nKRDyw0s
— YIMBY St. Pete (@yimbystpete) October 10, 2024
21.By daybreak, we were able to see what the damage from the storm actually looked like.
22.Here's what that downed crane in St. Pete looked like:
23.The city of Tampa posted this picture of a wall ripped off of a building:
24.They also posted this picture of metal wrapped around a palm tree:
25.Boats littered the streets in Punta Gorda:
26. A 14-year-old boy was rescued floating on a piece of fence:
14 year-old boy found floating on a piece of fence and rescued by teamHCSO. pic.twitter.com/m0FalN5DjZ
— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) October 10, 2024
27. A 30-foot skylight crashed in the Orlando Airport:
Hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall across the state, 30-foot piece of skylight crashed down at Melbourne Orlando airport. No injuries. @FlyMLB https://t.co/YyhSdsLe1W @USATODAY pic.twitter.com/OUco7YaXI8
— Jennifer Sangalang (@byjensangalang) October 10, 2024
28. Roads were destroyed:
ROAD DESTROYED: Part of a Pasco County road was left in pieces after Hurricane Milton tore through FloridaMORE STORM DAMAGE PHOTOS: https://t.co/41HaWiew2h pic.twitter.com/rpfrKgxjnh
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 10, 2024
29. Powerlines down:
Powerlines down in the roadway on Park Boulevard near the flea market. Hurricane #Milton pic.twitter.com/qkNUtsfCaG
— Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (@SheriffPinellas) October 10, 2024
30. And some areas like St. Armand's circle on Lido Key appeared to be under water:
Live look at St Armand’s circle on Lido key as of 8:10am this morning after #hurricanemilton would imagine siesta key is similar pic.twitter.com/FQ222Aa5uD
— Cole Kleiver (@ColeKleiver) October 10, 2024
31. Here's an aerial view of extensive flooding in Hillsborough County:
An aerial view of Dale Mabry captures the extensive flooding, a powerful reminder of the storm’s impact. Stay safe and avoid flooded areas as recovery efforts continue. pic.twitter.com/SbOCDUdGDQ
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 10, 2024
32. Millions of people are currently without power, but line workers have already started working on restoring it.
THANK YOU! 👏 Though millions in Florida are without power, line workers have been repairing damaged power lines since Hurricane Milton began impacting Tampa Bay on Wednesday.Track current outages here: https://t.co/u6w04GYpx9 pic.twitter.com/laZ4rjhG2S
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) October 10, 2024
33.In many of these places, debris from Hurricane Helene still litter the streets.
34. Authorities are asking people to stay off the roads.
Please stay off the roads. We have pockets of flooding, downed power lines es and trees in the roads. These are from the Riviera Bay, Edgemoor area and Intersection of 45th Ave S and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr St S. pic.twitter.com/zegTC7VAhu
— St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) October 10, 2024
35. Recovery has begun.
City crews out working on traffic signals this morning. Recovery has officially begun. #WeAreStPete pic.twitter.com/8Kyw7GqU3N
— St. Petersburg, FL (@StPeteFL) October 10, 2024
36. And the St. Pete Police are warning people to stay out of floodwaters because you never know what's swimming around in there.
Here’s another very good reason to stay out of floodwaters!!!🐊🐍 https://t.co/zDwboMCXqL
— St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) October 9, 2024