Hurricane Milton devastates Florida with tornadoes and flooding, leaving millions without power

Tom Bateman
Reporting from Central Florida

Here in Central Florida, winds continue to howl and groan, and a flash flood warning is issued as Hurricane Milton sweeps across the state.

As it barreled toward the Gulf Coast, 120-mile-per-hour winds brought a seawater storm surge to communities whose residents had previously been ordered to evacuate to save their lives.

Two million homes and businesses are now without power. By nightfall, many neighborhoods were deserted as emergency services warned it was too dangerous to answer calls.

The approaching hurricane also spawned many tornadoes throughout the day, including a huge tornado that crossed a section of highway known as Alligator Alley.

According to police, there were several deaths at a leisure resort on the Atlantic coast after several tornadoes struck within 20 minutes.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff described cars overturning and moving hundreds of feet.

In anticipation of recovery efforts, state authorities have deployed nearly 10,000 National Guard members and prepared up to 20 million food packages and 40 million liters of water for distribution.

image source, Reuters