AFP
Wind and rain batter the area as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 9, 2024, in Sarasota, Florida.
Hurricane Milton crashed into the Florida coast on Wednesday, packing furious winds and triggering life-threatening storm surges across a region still reeling from another massive storm two weeks before.
The weather front made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, in a densely populated area on the US state's western coast.
Milton triggered tornadoes before its arrival, with unconfirmed reports of multiple fatalities after one twister struck a senior living community on Florida's east coast.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the "initial impacts" of Milton, the White House said, as responses from Democrats and Republicans are likely to be closely scrutinized with just four weeks until the tightly-contested US presidential election.
Extreme winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour were recorded on Wednesday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tidal surges were expected to inundate western Florida's heavily populated and low-lying Gulf Coast.
At least 1.6 million households and businesses lost power in the state by late Wednesday, according to tracker poweroutage.us
Milton is later expected to rip through inland areas toward the Atlantic Ocean, with tourist hub Orlando — home to Disney World, which has closed for the storm — in its path.
In cities up and down Florida's western coast, the wind howled furiously and torrential rain fell as people took shelter wherever they could.
In the city of Sarasota, near Siesta Key, gusts of wind blew panes of glass from buildings on the waterfront. The streets were deserted and trees swayed almost horizontally, barely able to withstand the wind. Businesses were shuttered and sandbagged.
On a wooden board fixed against a window of an old red brick building, someone wrote: "Be kind Milton."
The airports in Tampa and Sarasota were closed until further notice.
Just before landfall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged state residents who had not evacuated to "stay inside and stay off the roads," adding: "Flood waters and rushing storm surge are very dangerous."
Milton struck just two weeks after another major hurricane, Helene, devastated Florida and other southeastern states — killing at least 235 people, with emergency crews still working to provide relief.
