Milton leaves 16 dead, millions without power in Florida

The death toll from Hurricane Milton has risen to at least 16, officials in Florida said, and millions were still without power as residents began the painful process of putting their lives back together.

More than two million homes and businesses were still without power, and some areas in the monster storm’s path across the state remained flooded.

“There are places where the water continues to rise,” warned Gov. Ron DeSantis. Although the storm was “significant,” he said, “fortunately it was not a worst-case scenario.”

In a briefing at the White House, US President Joe Biden said experts estimated the cost of the storm damage at $50 billion.

The federal response to the massive storm – and to Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the southeastern US just two weeks earlier – has taken on increasing political acrimony, and Mr Biden said he would visit Florida tomorrow.

Amid questions about whether the federal response was adequately funded, the president called on Congress to “step up” its efforts, particularly to support hard-hit small businesses.

The agency that provides loans to them and their families said it was overwhelmed by this and other disasters and was running out of money.

Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the Biden-Harris administration diverted hurricane response funds to care for migrants, drawing opposition even from some Republican officials.

Asked whether Mr. Trump was solely to blame for a dangerous swirl of misinformation, Mr. Biden replied: “No … but he has the biggest mouth.”

Hope in the midst of desolation

On Siesta Key, a beautiful barrier island near Sarasota, where the storm made landfall, Milton left behind a desolate landscape.

Some streets were still flooded yesterday. Fallen trees and debris—sofas, beds, chairs, and appliances, much of which Helene had left behind—were scattered haphazardly along the side of the road.

“It’s just terrible,” said John Maloney, 61, who owns a home remodeling business, as he removed branches from an oceanfront home he was working on. “But I think we will rebuild.”

Tornadoes, not floods, were responsible for many of the storm’s fatalities.

At least six people were killed in St. Lucie County, four in Volusia County, two in Pinellas County and one each in Hillsborough, Polk, Orange and Citrus counties, officials said.

The storm downed power lines, destroyed the roof of the Tampa ballpark and flooded homes.

In Sarasota, about 100 vehicles lined up to get fuel at one of the few gas stations that still sell it. Other people waited patiently in line on foot with canisters.

“We found out they had fuel here, so we’re here and so is everyone else today,” said resident Dave Stone.

Record tornado warnings

The Small Business Administration, a government agency that loans money to people and businesses affected by disasters, said it is now assisting people affected by 36 such disasters and is out of money, its administrator Isabel Casillas told CNN .

“It’s a matter of days,” Ms. Casillas said.

The National Weather Service issued a record 126 tornado warnings nationwide on Wednesday, hurricane expert Michael Lowry said.

Search operations were underway – Mr DeSantis said 1,600 people had been brought to safety – and the Coast Guard reported the spectacular rescue of a boat captain who was clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico in the storm, 30 miles (48 km) from shore.

Experts said human-caused climate change made Hurricane Milton wetter and windier.

What would have been a Category 2 storm, the climate research group World Weather Attribution said in a report, instead developed into a more destructive Category 3 on a five-point scale.