Hurricane Milton leaves path of destruction across Florida, at least 24 dead

CBS News flew over Siesta Key, just west of Sarasota, with the Florida National Guard Friday, where Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane. From above the devastation seemed limitless, a vast landscape of twisted metal and debris, marking the heartbreaking toll of back-to-back hurricanes.

Two days before Helene struck, Isabella McGovern's family purchased their dream home in Siesta Key after saving up for years. Now the home is gutted, with mud inside and their new furniture sitting outside.

"This was all from the first hurricane, because anything the water touches, you have to strip because of the mold," McGovern told CBS News.

And down the street, guard troops were handing out lifelines in the form of cleaning supplies, tarps and water, while the McGoverns wonder whether to stay.

"We can't afford to, you know, build a house all over again," McGovern said. "So, we were thinking, if anything, you know, refurnish it, make it look nice. And in the next two to three years, put it back in the market."

More than 2,100 gas stations in Florida had limited fuel Friday evening, according to numbers from GasBuddy, which accounts for over 26% of all gas stations in the state.  

If you don't need to go to the gas station, don't," Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday. "You should not be running out to fill up."  

The White House says President Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas impacted by Hurricane Milton. 

In remarks to the press about recovery efforts Friday afternoon, Mr. Biden said, "I'm pleased that more Americans are coming together in a purely voluntary way. I mean, this is who the hell we are. When America's in trouble we go and jump in and try to help. You help your neighbor."

This map shows what parts of Florida are experiencing power outages in the wake of Hurricane Milton, according to Find Energy.

One thousand federal personnel remain on the ground after Hurricane Milton, the White House said on Friday afternoon, and search and rescue teams have conducted over 4,200 rescues and assists. 

Another 50,000 workers are restoring power. Over 2 million Florida residents are still in the dark. 

Meal deliveries are also underway. Workers have already delivered 1.2 million meals, with another 1.6 million set to be delivered Friday. 

"We will be with the people of Florida for as long as it takes," the White House said. 

At a Univision town hall Thursday night in Las Vegas, Vice President Kamala Harris fielded questions about federal hurricane relief efforts.

Ramiro Gonzalez, a voter from Tampa, Florida, noted that more than one hurricane had struck his home. 

"Rumors are that your administration didn't do enough to respond to the last hurricane. What would you specifically do, or your administration do, to help us in the Tampa Bay area or the Central Florida area with this hurricane?" he asked Harris. 

Harris responded by decrying disinformation spread about the federal response to recent hurricanes. 

"I have to stress that this is not a time for people to play politics," she said. 

She then listed her continual briefings and contact with state and local officials on the ground, and warned against companies that are raising prices in impacted areas.

Read more here. 

President Biden on Thursday was again critical of former President Donald Trump for spreading false information about relief efforts for hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"Former President Trump, get a life, man, help these people," Mr. Biden said when asked about it in a briefing.

It comes after Mr. Biden on Wednesday accused Trump of leading "the onslaught of lies" around federal aid efforts.  

Speaking in Detroit on Thursday, Trump falsely claimed, yet again, that FEMA had turned its back on victims of Hurricane Helene.

"With respect to North Carolina," Trump said. "They've let those people suffer unjustly." Trump has made such claims at least 19 times since Sept. 30.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said Thursday that some victims have heard false rumors that FEMA will seize their land.

"What we have seen is people reticent, reluctant to access the relief to which they are entitled," Mayorkas said.

FEMA says it has already distributed $344 million worth of assistance to victims of Helene in six states.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man about 30 miles off Florida's Gulf Coast on Thursday afternoon after he survived hurricane-force winds and heavy seas overnight. 

The man, a fishing boat captain, became stranded Wednesday while attempting to make repairs on the vessel after it broke down earlier in the week, according to the Coast Guard.

"This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," said Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg's command center chief.

Watch video of the rescue here.

St. Petersburg reported Thursday night that more than 100 traffic lights were down across the city and 30 water lines were broken, mainly because of fallen trees, as a result of Hurricane Milton.

In a recovery update, city officials said crews were still assessing the storm's damage and working to clear debris from the streets, including hundreds of fallen trees.

Officials also said crews were working around the clock to repair the water lines. 

"Drinking water has been restored but the city remains under a boil water notice until Monday, Oct. 14," the recovery update said.

The city also reminded residents to treat downed traffic signals as four-way stops for safety.

Rescues were conducted across the Tampa area Thursday for those who chose not to evacuate before Hurricane Milton arrived.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office conducted dozens of rescues in the Tampa area after Milton made landfall, including rescuing more than 135 residents of an assisted living facility. Elderly evacuees were given food, water and blankets.

CBS News rode with a sheriff's rescue team when they rescued an 80-year-old woman from her home.

"This is a bad dream, a very bad dream," the woman said.

In one Tampa neighborhood, entire homes were nearly submerged underwater.

In Clearwater, Florida, west of Tampa, hundreds of first responders were using high-water vehicles and boats to rescue families trapped in an apartment complex.

"We lost everything, I lost everything, there was about 10 feet of water in my apartment right, because I tried to go back in and grab some stuff, and it rising, rising, it was up to my chest," one man who lives in the complex told CBS News.

By Vladimir Duthiers and Jonathan Vigliotti

The barrier island community of Boca Grande on Florida's west coast remained cut off Thursday evening after being hard-hit by Hurricane Milton.

The only bridge to Boca Grande, located just west of Fort Myers, was closed after the island was hit with a 5-foot storm surge. CBS News got access to the island Thursday in a helicopter with Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Homes were surrounded by brown water, cars were swept away and businesses were caked in sand. Nearly everyone on the island evacuated, and Marceno thinks that saved their lives.

"I would never would imagine it would look like this. Businesses closed, water is busted through the windows, trash and debris, boats, furniture. It just shows you its true devastation. If you took a picture, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, this leaves me at a loss for words," the sheriff said. 

At least 16 people have been killed by Hurricane Milton, Florida officials confirmed to CBS News. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said eight counties have reported 16 storm-related deaths to their agency. 

Six people died in St. Lucie County, three people died in Volusia County, one in Citrus County, one in Polk County, two in Pinellas County, one in Hillsborough County, one in Sarasota County and one person in Orange County, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Authorities said it is up to each individual local agency to determine whether a death is storm-related. They also warned that there could be discrepancies in the numbers as officials continue to assess the storm's impact on communities.

Some communities in Florida's Manatee County were still recovering from recent hurricanes when Milton made landfall just to its south.

"We have a lot of communities that were still deep into recovery from Hurricane Helene that passed and even some from Hurricane Debby," Jodie Fiske, the public safety director for Manatee County, said on "CBS Mornings." "So our community has been in recovery mode, response mode, recovery mode, response mode for just a little over a month now, so we're just still pushing through."

While Fiske said Milton didn't bring the high levels of storm surge to the county that were feared, it wasn't left unspared.

"We are getting a lot of reports of a significant number of trees down, power lines down," she said. "A lot of our mobile homes took a pretty big hit."

Residents who fled Florida's west coast ahead of Hurricane Milton began their journey home on Thursday. Evacuees faced heavy traffic and uncertainty about the condition in which they would find their homes as they inched along Florida's highways.

Backups on I-75 westbound stretched for miles, and Amanda Cielenski and her four daughters from Punta Gorda were anxious to get home. 

"It's nerve-racking," Cielenski told CBS News Miami. "We don't know what the roads will look like, or what condition our home will be in. It took us about six hours to get here, and it's going to be tricky getting back."

Read more here.

By Marybel Rodriguez, Mauricio Maldonado

There are more than 1,000 American Red Cross workers on the ground in Florida responding to the aftermaths of hurricanes Milton and Helene, the organization said Thursday.

"This is going to be hard for many, many families in Florida," national spokesperson Nicole Maul said on "CBS Mornings."

She said the Red Cross was going to be in the state for months following the devastating back-to-back storms.

"We're not going to let these folks walk this recovery path alone," Maul said.

CBS is working with the American Red Cross to support relief efforts for people affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Donate at redcross.org/cbs or call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text HURRICANES to 90999 to donate. Full terms at redcross.org/m.

Read more on how to help hurricane survivors here.

The storm surge from Hurricane Milton peaked at 5-10 feet above ground level from Siesta Key to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, according to a preliminary analysis from the National Hurricane Center. 

While the center noted a more detailed analysis would follow, earlier predictions had warned the surge could rise as high as 15 feet in the Tampa Bay area.

President Biden called on lawmakers Thursday to "move as rapidly as they can" on emergency funding for hurricanes in the wake of Milton and Helene. He singled out assistance for small businesses in particular because he said the disaster relief fund for loans for these businesses is running precariously low. 

The president said he hasn't spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson or asked him to bring Congress back before Election Day. Johnson said Wednesday in North Carolina — a state badly hit by Hurricane Helene — that FEMA and the administration "have the resources necessary right now to address the immediate needs."

Read more here.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave an update on Hurricane Milton rescue and recovery efforts Thursday afternoon and said so far, 340 people and 49 pets have been rescued since the storm's landfall Wednesday night. 

He also said inland flooding caused by the storm has blocked key roadways in central and northern parts of the state, and energy companies are working to restore power to the estimated 3 million residents in the dark.

Watch his news conference in the video below:

As Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, it ripped up homes, knocked over signs and trees and caused flooding in parts of the state. Flood waters inundated a neighborhood in Punta Gorda and smashed and capsized boats in its marina.

In the city of St. Petersburg, a construction crane collapsed onto a building, leaving a gaping hole. 

The Tampa Bay Rays' home stadium, Tropicana Field, had its dome torn open by hurricane-force winds. 

Walt Disney World Resort, which shut down in preparation for Milton, said on Thursday the park had "weathered the storm" and would reopen Friday.

Read more here.

Joseph Malinowski, a 54-year-old Tampa resident known locally as "Lieutenant Dan," weathered Hurricane Milton aboard his small sailboat in Tampa Bay. His refusal to evacuate went viral on social media as he said he wouldn't leave his boat.  

Malinowski told CBS News he was unfazed, describing the experience as "pretty mellow," even though his boat was repeatedly slammed against a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.

"I'm not scared of anything," Malinowski said, after staying through Helene and Milton. If another hurricane strikes, his plans remain the same: "I'm going to stay on the boat, no matter what," Malinowski said. 

Read more here.

By Analisa Novak, Cristian Benavides

A 46-year-old man from Inverness, a city around 75 miles north of Tampa, died overnight after a falling tree collided with his car while he was driving, a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol told CBS News. The driver's death is the first one confirmed in Citrus County, Florida, tied to Hurricane Milton.

Sgt. Steve Gaskins, the Highway Patrol spokesperson, said in an email that the man was driving east near a wildlife preserve at around 1:30 a.m. when his vehicle collided with a falling tree.

The man "suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash," Gaskins said. He told CBS News a medical examiner will determine a cause of death for the driver, who was not identified.

Milton became a post-tropical cyclone Thursday as it traveled farther out over the Atlantic Ocean, on a path that should see it pass north of the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon.

The storm is gradually weakening and, as of 2 p.m. EDT, had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, just above the 74 mph threshold to be considered hurricane-force, according to the National Hurricane Center. It continues to fuel tropical-storm conditions and storm surge along parts of the southeastern U.S. coast.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 70 miles from Milton's center, and tropical storm-force winds extended up to 310 miles from the center, forecasters said.

Four people died in Volusia County as a result of Hurricane Milton, a spokesperson for the local medical examiner's office told CBS News.

Located along the coast some 50 miles from Orlando, Volusia County includes cities like Daytona Beach. The region experienced powerful winds, heavy rain and inundation from floodwaters as Milton tracked eastward, in addition to surf conditions and storm surge that forecasters with the National Weather Service described as "extremely dangerous" and "life-threatening."

Karla Orozco, operations manager at the medical examiner's office in Daytona, said the office has had four Milton-related deaths in an email Thursday afternoon. Orozco did not provide details about the incidents.

President Biden urged Floridians to wait to hear from their local leaders before going out into Hurricane Milton's aftermath.

"There are still very dangerous conditions in the state, and people should wait to be given the all-clear by their leaders before they go out," Mr. Biden said. "We know from previous hurricanes that it's often the case that more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself."

Two people in St. Petersburg were confirmed dead after Milton ripped through the city.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said one of the deceased was found dead in a park, and the medical examiner has not yet ruled on a cause of death.

Holloway characterized the other death as medical. He did not share details about the nature or circumstances surrounding either incident when he announced them during a news conference Thursday morning. The police chief also did not reveal the identities of those who died.

"We did lose two people during this storm," Holloway said. "Two people lost their loved ones."

Four people were previously confirmed dead in southeastern Florida's St. Lucie County, where a dozen tornadoes linked to Milton developed Wednesday, officials said.

A Florida congressman said the damage in his district from back-to-back hurricanes was heartbreaking.

"The heartbreaking thing about this for my district is we were literally recovering from Hurricane Helene," Congressman Greg Steube said on "CBS Mornings." "I was going and touring businesses that were ripping out drywall – I helped a family rip out drywall who were just flooded a little over a week ago -- and those same areas got flooded again, Punta Gorda got flooded again, so those businesses and homes that were trying to rebound from Hurricane Helene just got flooded again, and it's heartbreaking to see that."

Steube said his own home was in the eye of the storm.

"We got the worst of the wind," he said. "The eye went over my house, so it was blowing at 100 miles an hour north, and then you get to the eye, and then as the eye passes, it was blowing to 100 miles an hour to the south, so Sarasota probably got the highest wind damages."

A dog was rescued Thursday morning from the rubble of a home hit by a tornado at a 55-and-older retirement community with some help from a CBS News Miami crew. The couple who lived in the home did not survive. 

A resident found the dog at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village retirement community near Fort Piece.

CBS News Miami reporter Morgan Rynor was on the scene while appearing live on "CBS Mornings."

"We said, there's no way that there is a dog in the huge pile of debris behind us," she later said.

Read more here.

Millions across Florida were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to the utility tracker Find Energy.

Many of the customers experiencing outages live in places that sustained serious damage from Milton, like Tampa Bay and Sarasota. Several of those counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee, were reporting around 75% or more of their individual energy customers didn't have electricity.

Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy's Florida president, told "CBS Mornings" the company will prioritize critical facilities as it works to restore the electrical grid for the region.

"We have damage assessment underway. We are using people on the ground. We're using drones, helicopters," Seixas said. "We are also actively restoring with a focus on critical care facilities, and other critical facilities like hospitals, flu stations, water treatment plants, shelters."

A crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg as Milton ripped through the city, crashing onto an office building and sending debris onto the road below.

Social media video shared by the city showed some of the damage in St. Petersburg and surrounding areas the morning after the hurricane, including the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium, Tropicana Field, with its roof torn off and stadium lights exposed.

The stadium was being used to shelter thousands of linemen and National Guard members who responded to the storm. But Gov. Ron DeSantis' spokesperson said they had relocated before the roof was destroyed.

"We love you, St. Pete," the city of St. Petersburg wrote on social media. "It's been a tough few weeks, but we're still with you - we're ready to recover and rebuild."

Crews were assessing the damage early Thursday, officials said. Residents were  asked to stay home until they determined roads were safe.

The center of Milton moved farther into the Atlantic on Thursday morning after moving off the coast of eastern Florida, the National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m. EDT.

It was still a hurricane, a low-end Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, on a track expected to carry it past the Bahamas and then farther out to sea.

Even offshore, Milton is causing ongoing tropical storm conditions along coastal portions of the southeast U.S. and northwestern Bahamas, according to the hurricane center.

Forecasters say the storm is taking on extratropical characteristics on its way out, but warn Milton "will still be a powerful post-tropical cyclone." Winds are expected to weaken gradually over the next few days.

The emergency management chief for Sarasota County said she was concerned about some islands off Florida's west coast Thursday morning after Milton made landfall.

Sandra Tapfumaneyi said on "CBS Mornings" that crews weren't able to reach at least a couple hundred people on Lido Key and Longboat Key because a bridge was damaged during the storm.

"So we're concerned, just because we can't get over to them just yet," Tapfumaneyi said. "We had some reports coming in of … higher flooding along some of our creeks, so, you know, there are certainly some areas, some pockets that we're concerned about."

Video from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office showed rescuers preparing to traverse a flooded street by boat Thursday morning, as the region grapples with some of the most significant inundation tied to the hurricane.

Pinellas County is located across the bay from Tampa, along the coast, and includes cities like Clearwater and St. Petersburg. It was hit hard by Milton, with the sheriff's office reporting widespread electrical outages and sharing photos of roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as well as other debris. Some images appear to show vehicles almost completely submerged in water.

Milton dropped at least 18 inches of rain on parts of St. Petersburg overnight, officials said. It was the highest rainfall total recorded since the hurricane struck Florida.

Emergency management officials in Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, urged residents to stay off flooded roads early Thursday.

"Over 18" of rain and gusts to 101 MPH in parts of @StPeteFL as #Milton moved through the area," officials wrote in a social media post. "As such, widespread damages, flooding, and dangerous debris is being reported all around."

The hurricane brought roughly a foot of rainfall to sections of western and central Florida over the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Places around Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg saw the most accumulation compared with the rest of the state, but 17.6 inches were recorded near Albert Whitted Airport on the shores of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg — the greatest by far.

Wind speeds neared or topped 100 mph in western Florida Wednesday night. The most powerful winds whipped past maritime stations at Egmont Channel and Skyway Fishing Pier at the mouth of Tampa Bay as Milton was making landfall, according to the National Weather Service in Tampa.

Skyway Fishing Pier recorded a gust of 103 mph at 8:30 p.m., around the time Milton struck Siesta Key, and Egmont Channel recorded another gust of 105 mph about 45 minutes later. The latter reading was the highest of the night.

Gusts recorded elsewhere in the region were almost as strong. Tampa, Sarasota and St. Petersburg each recorded winds of around 100 mph before midnight.

Four people were killed when a dozen tornadoes associated with Hurricane Milton ripped through St. Lucie County in southeastern Florida Wednesday, a county official confirmed Thursday morning.

County spokesperson Erick Gill told CBS News Miami at least one of the deaths occurred in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, a senior mobile home community near Fort Pierce.

Sheriff Keith Pearson told CBS West Palm Beach affiliate WPEC-TV it was "like nothing other we've seen." He said all 12 twisters hit in a 20-minute span.

Read more here.  

Tampa police say they rescued 15 people, including multiple children, from a single-family home after a tree crashed onto it.

Police Chief Lee Bercaw told reporters water was coming into the house.

The officers were sheltering less than two miles away when the 911 call came in and raced to get the people out as soon as there was a break in Milton's storm bands.

They took the occupants to a shelter in a nearby elementary school.

Police added that, "One officer took the time to ensure the main power to the home was turned off before leaving."

The department posted video of the rescue.

Read more here.

Several organizations are preparing to assist households hit by Milton. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous disaster recovery centers throughout the state. The White House said Wednesday that FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts. 

Information about how to access shelters and apply for assistance can be found at disasterassistance.gov. Residents can also call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.

CBS is working with the American Red Cross to support relief efforts for people affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Donate at redcross.org/cbs or call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text HURRICANES to 90999 to donate. Full terms at redcross.org/m.

The Florida Disaster Fund has said it will distribute donations to service organizations that help people with disaster response and recovery. Collected donations will be used for those affected by Milton and Helene, the fund said.

Read more here.

After making landfall in Florida with a Category 3 status, Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved across the state.

As of 5 a.m. Eastern Time, Milton had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and was moving off Florida's east coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Milton's center was some 10 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral. The storm picked up speed as it made its way across the peninsula and was moving northeast at a brisk 18 mph clip.

It was "still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida," the hurricane center said, adding that Milton's center "will move away from Florida and to the north of the Bahamas today. Gradual weakening is expected, but Milton is forecast to become a powerful extratropical low tonight."

Milton made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. 

Under the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a Category 1 hurricane is defined as having maximum sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph.

The roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton Wednesday night. 

Video obtained by CBS Tampa affiliate WTSP showed parts of the roof of the stadium, which is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appearing to have been torn to shreds or ripped off altogether.

WTSP reported that Tropicana Field had previously served as a staging area for thousands of linemen and National Guard members who were preparing to respond to Milton, with photos showing rows of cots lining the field.  

A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told WTSP that the linemen's staging area had been relocated prior to the damage. 

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue later confirmed that there were no injuries in the incident.

The fire department also said there were no injuries when a construction crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Times says a crane collapse during Milton left "a gaping hole in an office building that houses several businesses" including the Times, but the building had closed before Milton hit and no one was in the paper's newsroom when the crane came down.

A significant water main break forced the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, to shut off drinking water service early Thursday.  

The citywide shutoff began at midnight Wednesday to "address the issue and prevent further complications," the city announced in a statement.  

The city said repairs would begin as soon as it was safe for utility crews to be outside, adding that "temporary shutdown was expected to last until the necessary repairs can be completed."

A boil water notice was also being put in place until further notice. 

The White House said President Biden was briefed on Hurricane Milton after it made landfall Wednesday evening.

A White House spokesperson told CBS News in a statement that the briefing on the initial impact of the storm was conducted by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall.

Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Biden delivered remarks about Milton in which he said his administration would offer support "for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild." 

The president said there were 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to be delivered, and said the Pentagon has pre-positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters and water vehicles.

Multiple people were injured when tornadoes ripped through Palm Beach County on Florida's east coast Wednesday night, damaging homes and buildings in the process, officials said.  

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said that just after 5 p.m. local time it responded to "multiple reports of tornadoes, associated injuries and trapped people" in various areas.

"Our crews on the scene reported several damaged homes, vehicles picked up and moved, and debris all over the area," the fire department said in a news release.

About 40 responding units rescued people from damaged structures and vehicles, the fire department said. One person was rescued from an overturned RV.

"Some were trapped under rubble or stuck in overturned vehicles tossed by the strong winds," the fire department said.

Five people, including three trauma patients, were transported to local hospitals, the fire department reported.

There were at least 20 confirmed tornadoes in Florida on Wednesday, according to "CBS Mornings" weather producer Elie Morrison. 

Hurricane Milton had sustained winds of 105 mph as of 11 p.m. ET, making the storm a Category 2 hurricane — which is defined as a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 96-110 mph.

Milton had made landfall earlier in the evening as a Category 3 storm, considered a major hurricane, with 120 mph winds.

Milton was forecast to "maintain hurricane intensity" while it moves northeast across the Florida peninsula before emerging off Florida's east coast sometime Thursday, the hurricane center said. 

After entering the Atlantic, it will weaken to a tropical storm. 

The Tampa metropolitan area was seeing between 3 and 5 inches of rain per hour, Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, told CBS News on Wednesday night after Hurricane Milton made landfall.

"To put that in context, because you might not be used to hearing those types of numbers, that's two and three times the normal rain rate, or speed, that rain would fall from just a traditional thunderstorm," Rhome said. "And when rain falls that fast, that hard on an urban area, you almost get an instant flood, it has nowhere to go, you just get this instant flash flooding, and you're seeing that unfold all throughout the Tampa Bay area as we speak."

The National Hurricane Center said a flash flood emergency was in effect for the Tampa area at 10 p.m. ET. 

Rhome said that the "shield of heavy rain" would move northeast along the Interstate 4 corridor overnight, also hitting Lakeland and Orlando.

"It is absolutely unsafe to be out of your house and driving in those conditions," Rhome said.

Rhome expected the I-4 corridor to see "catastrophic flooding" as a result, and emphasized that Milton would remain a hurricane as it traverses the Florida peninsula.

"And you on the Florida east coast, if you think you're out of the woods, this is a Florida west coast problem, no, you're going to have hurricane-force winds all the way over on the Florida east coast," Rhome said. 

A suspected tornado touched down in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall later Wednesday night, one of several which were believed to have touched down statewide, CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdes reports.

A doorbell camera captured footage of the damage as it whipped through palm trees in the neighborhood and ripped off the roof of a home. The extent of the damage was still unknown. It was unclear if there were any injuries.    

More than 100 tornado warnings blared across the state earlier in the day. There were at least 20 confirmed tornadoes in Florida Wednesday, according to "CBS Mornings" weather producer Elie Morrison.

In the southeastern Florida county of St. Lucie, there were "multiple reports of tornadoes touching down," county spokesperson Erick Gill told CBS News by email Wednesday evening.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson feared the worst for those still in the city Wednesday night.

"I'm praying for their safety, and I hope they survive," Anderson told CBS News.

All the debris from both Hurricane Helene and the suspected tornadoes could put even inland communities at risk of even more damage as powerful winds from Milton are expected to continue well into Thursday.

Several injuries, both serious and minor, have been reported in Martin County, Florida, as a result of Hurricane Milton. No fatalities had been reported as of Wednesday night, Martin County Fire Rescue said.

Martin County Fire Rescue also said it estimated dozens of homes had been damaged, "some severely," by the storm.

Martin County is located on Florida's east coast, north of Palm Beach.

Federal Emergency Management Administrator Deanne Criswell indicated in a briefing Wednesday that the agency's Disaster Relief Fund could face a funding crisis. 

Criswell said the agency currently has about $9 billion in its coffers after it spent about $11 billion responding to Hurricane Helene.

"I'm going to have to evaluate how quickly we're burning the remaining dollars within the Disaster Relief Fund, to see if I'm going to have to go back in and ask for additional funding sooner than what Congress is planning on right now."

CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane reports that, according to congressional sources, FEMA could receive enough funding to respond to both Helene and Milton in the near term, but the agency may have to pull back on other long-term response efforts from previous emergencies in other parts of the country.

MacFarlane also reports that the Small Business Administration, which provides disaster loans to homeowners and small businesses, could also run out of money before Congress reconvenes after the November election. 

Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. 

Milton had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it made landfall, making it a "dangerous Category 3 storm," the center said. 

Siesta Key is a barrier island located just south of Sarasota.  

Jeff Masters, a scientist who formerly worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's hurricane hunters, told CBS News that Milton is "going to do unprecedented damage in this part of Florida" despite the fact that its winds have weakened from Category 5 to Category 3.

"Some of the biggest catastrophes in hurricane history were from weakening storms," Masters said. "Katrina was weakening as it was approaching the shore and it caused $190 billion in damage. It was a Cat 3 at landfall and it was formerly a Cat 5. Well, here we have another former Cat 5 that's going to be a Cat 3 at landfall, and the storm surge is baked in. It's going to come ashore, it's going to be 8 to 13 feet [of storm surge] along an 80-mile stretch along a very heavily populated coast." 

Watch more of his interview in the video below:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told CBS News on Wednesday evening that state authorities are "absolutely" prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Milton.

"We've got 50,000 linemen staged, ready for rapid power restoration," DeSantis said. "We also have a full mobilization of the Florida National Guard, as well as receiving a lot of assets from other states, so it will be the largest search and rescue function that we've ever done."

The governor said that "by and large, people heeded the call" to evacuate.

He said the state's shelters have "plenty of room," noting that they are designed to withstand a Category 3 storm.

"Look, at this point, if you're in the west coast of Florida, it's probably too dangerous to go to a shelter," DeSantis said. "But one of the things we've done in Florida is stress that, when you shelter, you don't have to get on the interstate and drive hundreds of miles. We have places, even in the counties that are in the eye of the storm, that are inland, that are not susceptible to storm surge, but that are hurricane-proof."

DeSantis also addressed misinformation that has circulated online about relief efforts for both hurricanes Milton and Helene, calling it "nonsense."

"I think there's some people out there, we live in an age where you can monetize a lot of this nonsense online," DeSantis said. "You can get a lot of clicks, but that is not true in Florida. So, we're going to do it right, your property is going to be protected. And we're going to make sure that you get back on your feet."

County officials in Sarasota and in the city of St. Petersburg took to social media Wednesday afternoon to warn residents to stay indoors and take precautions as storm conditions intensify. 

"It is no longer safe to be on the roadways.  Individuals SHOULD NOT go out on the roadways.  They should now SHELTER IN PLACE," the Sarasota County Government posted on the social media platform X. "There are reports of flooding and it is not safe to be out on the road for the duration of the storm."

In the city of St. Petersburg, first responder operations have been paused. "For the safety of our police, fire, and medical teams, they will not be able to respond to emergency calls until it is safe to operate," the city said on X. "Please stay indoors, take shelter, and call 911 only in case of emergencies. We'll resume operations as soon as weather conditions allow."

The city also made the decision to shut down water treatment plants and urged residents to limit water use. 

"The City of St. Petersburg made the difficult decision to turn off power at the Northeast and Southwest Sewer Treatment Plants to protect employees and the treatment plants from potential storm surge from Hurricane Milton," the city said. "Starting at 7 p.m., impacted residents/businesses are encouraged to limit water usage. Please avoid taking showers, doing laundry, or washing dishes as much as possible. Please flush toilets only as necessary as the toilet may not drain."

In Manatee County, which includes the city of Bradenton, officials also suspended emergency services. "911 emergency calls will be logged and queued based on priority and will be responded to as soon as safe to do so," the county said on X. 

CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan says Milton is forecast to make landfall between 9 and 10 p.m. ET Wednesday if the storm's directional speed remains the same. Milton is expected to be a Category 3 at landfall, and had wind speeds of 120 mph as of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center.

The northern eyewall of Hurricane Milton began moving ashore around 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The center warned those in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas to shelter in place as "extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds" were spreading through the area.

While many residents evacuated, staff at ZooTampa at Lowry Park made preparations to ride out the storm with the zoo's residents.

ZooTampa's Tiffany Burns, senior director of animal programs, told CBS News that preparations for the zoo's animals started days ago and about 12 staff members are ready to stay with their charges. 

"We have a very comprehensive plan that we check all throughout the year and after we go through a storm, we modify and make sure we learn from each storm," she said.

Of the zoo's approximately 1,000 animals, about 300-400 were moved into secure buildings on the zoo site, she said. For a lot of the primates, carnivores and elephants, the buildings are the same ones they're in each night — their "night houses," she said, part of the habitats that were built to be hurricane-safe.

But for animals like birds, skunks and some antelope species, "that can be very different," she said. Some, like porcupines, will be in the night houses with the larger animals who aren't used to seeing them.

"It'll be a little bit of an adventure for everyone," she said.

As Hurricane Milton advances on Florida, many iPhone users in the state will have an option for staying connected with loved ones even if the monster storm takes down cell service in the region. 

Apple's recently introduced mobile operating system, iOS 18, lets iPhone customers send text messages via satellite, as well as contact emergency services, without a Wi-Fi connection. You need an iPhone 14 or newer model equipped with iOS 18 to use the feature, according to Apple. 

Read more here.

President Biden spoke about Hurricane Milton ahead of its expected landfall and assured Florida residents and others who have been impacted by the recent storms, "We've got your back." He said his administration would offer support "for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild."

Mr. Biden said Milton is expected to be "one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century," despite being downgraded to a Category 3 storm.

Read more here.

According to the National Hurricane Center, here are the watches and warnings in effect for Milton as of 5 p.m. EDT:

Storm surge warning

• Florida west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay
• Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River

Hurricane warning

• Florida west coast from Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay
• Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach

Hurricane watch

• Lake Okeechobee
• Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line to the Palm Beach/Martin county line

Tropical storm warning

• Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay
• Lake Okeechobee
• Florida west coast from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach
• Florida west coast from north of Suwanee River to Indian Pass
• Florida east coast south of the St. Lucie/Martin county line to Flamingo
• North of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to Edisto Beach, South Carolina
• Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos, and Bimini

The National Weather Service issued a warning Wednesday afternoon that it was time for residents to shelter in place as Hurricane Milton neared. Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains and tornadoes were spreading inland across Florida, the weather service said, and unless a life-threatening situation arises, people should stay indoors.

National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said the hurricane is here: "I urge those in harm's way to continue heeding advice from local officials and please be safe!"

Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as of 4 p.m. EDT, which the hurricane center still considers to be a major hurricane.

Milton caused a string of tornadic supercell storms to develop in Florida's southern peninsula Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said, and at least a handful appeared to actually produce tornadoes.

Images shared to social media by the National Weather Service in Miami captured one of the ominous twisters looming in the background after it crossed Interstate 75 at around 10 a.m. EDT.

The weather service shared another image of a "multi-vortex" tornado moving ashore from Lake Okeechobee less than two hours later.

Tornado warnings were ongoing across a large section of the state, and a tornado watch was issued through 9 p.m. for parts of South Florida and the Gulf Coast, including Fort Myers and Naples, CBS News Miami reported.

In the southeastern Florida county of St. Lucie, there were "multiple reports of tornadoes touching down," county spokesperson Erick Gill told CBS News by email Wednesday evening.

Gill said officials still had no estimate on the possible number of injuries from the tornadoes, or the number of homes that may have been damaged. 

This radar loop from CBS Miami shows weather conditions from Hurricane Milton.

Floridians fleeing Hurricane Milton faced shortages at gas stations in addition to congested roads.

As of midday Wednesday, 24% of Florida's 7,912 gas stations were without fuel, according to data from GasBuddy, which tracks filling stations around the U.S.

"Best bets for motorists evacuating that need fuel: major travel stops have larger underground tanks and have more resources generally — trucks and drivers," tweeted Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "Or large chains as well that have many locations. Fuel is flowing but stations are having a hard time keeping up."

Read more here.

Hundreds of flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled as Milton barreled toward Florida's western coast.

Most of the cancellations were for flights to or from Florida, where some airports closed ahead of the hurricane.

Airlines announced they are issuing travel waivers to customers affected by Milton, as well as adding flights in an effort to help people who were trying to evacuate.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have all issued waivers for travelers who had booked flights into or out of Florida airports. The waivers allow them to rebook their flights free of charge.

Read more here.

People fled the Tampa Bay area and parts of the surrounding region were under mandatory evacuation orders issued Monday and Tuesday.

But not everyone has complied with those directives.

"There will be fatalities," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday. "I don't think there's any way around that when you have 10 feet of storm surge. There are going to be people who stay behind, and they're going to be in distress."

Officials have set up 149 shelters across Florida that are open to the general population, with enough capacity to hold around 200,000, the governor said. But just 31,000 people were using those shelters as of Tuesday night.

Photos and videos taken from space show the breadth of Hurricane Milton.

Multiple timelapse videos taken by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick show the storm from the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. Dominick is a flight engineer aboard the orbiting laboratory, which is attached to the International Space Station. In one post on social media, Dominick said that he had a view of the storm from the window in his sleeping quarters.

The timelapse he shared through that window on Wednesday morning showed the storm as it approached Florida's western coast. He noted that the storm looked even bigger than it had the day before.

See more here.

Milton is the quickest storm on record to rapidly intensify into a Category 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. On Sunday, the system was a tropical storm with sustained winds of 60 mph. Just 24 hours later, the wind speeds had leapt to 175 mph, far above the Category 5 threshold of 157 mph.

Rapid intensification refers to a storm's wind speeds increasing by more than 58 mph in a 24-hour window. From 1980 to 2023, 177 Atlantic hurricanes that made landfall have rapidly intensified. About 80% of Category 3-5 hurricanes undergo this process.

Read more here.

Human-caused climate change is making it easier for hurricanes to rapidly intensify into more powerful storms, which often bring more coastal flooding and additional rainfall to areas miles from the coast, according to scientists.

Since April 2023, global sea surface temperatures have been hotter than any other period on record. Hotter oceans fuel stronger storms, and warmer sea surface temperatures amplify evaporation, transferring heat and water to the air, making hurricane winds stronger and increasing the rain they hold.

Waffle House announced that it had closed its locations in several areas ahead of Milton's projected landfall, citing the so-called Waffle House Index as a measure of the storm's severity. 

"These updated #whindex status maps reflect our closures as of 2PM this afternoon in advance of #HurricaneMilton. Please stay safe," Waffle House wrote in a social media post Wednesday morning.

In measuring the severity of a storm, the Waffle House Index has come to be a reliable indicator of whether a hurricane or other natural disaster is likely to cause significant damage. The chain of 1,600 restaurants notes that because its locations are primarily spread across Southern states and the Gulf Coast, they are particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, yet it makes an effort to keep them open during all kinds of weather events.

Read more here.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Wednesday that the agency has a "layered approach" to staffing, along with being just one part of the federal government's support mechanisms, amid concerns about resources as the agency prepares for powerful Hurricane Milton as it barrels toward Florida shortly after the deadly Hurricane Helene.

"We're just one part of the team," Criswell said on "CBS Mornings" early Wednesday. "We bring in the whole federal family, the entire federal government to support the efforts that are going on across all of the states that have been impacted by the storm."

Debris from Helene, which made landfall on Sept. 26, is still on the ground in Florida as the state braces for Milton.

Read more here.

Walt Disney is joining other theme parks including SeaWorld and Universal that are closing before Hurricane Milton hits Florida.

Walt Disney parks in Orlando was slated to start shutting down in phases beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, with its resorts likely to remain shuttered on Thursday, according to the company. A water park, miniature golf facilities and campgrounds will also be closed.

The Magic Kingdom's announcement came after United Parks and Resorts said it would close its Florida theme parks, including SeaWorld Orlando, on Wednesday and Thursday. Busch Gardens Tampa was closed as of Tuesday and will remain so through Thursday, United Parks said.

Read more here.

President Biden postponed a planned trip to Germany and Angloa to monitor the storm response.

"I've urged everyone, everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton's path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions," Mr. Biden said Tuesday. "... If you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now, now, now — you should have already evacuated. It's a matter of life and death."

Mr. Biden said he preapproved emergency declarations in Florida and had sent FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to Florida on Monday. He also called on airlines and other companies to provide "as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations" and "not to engage in price gouging."

Read more here.