A tornado in St. Lucie caused structural damage to the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Keith Pearson said in a video posted on Facebook
made landfall Wednesday along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, bringing powerful winds, deadly storm surge and potential flooding to much of the state. Milton drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, twice reaching Category 5 status.
Millions were ordered or urged to evacuate and thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida's highways ahead of the storm, but by Wednesday afternoon the National Weather Service said that time had run out. With Milton targeting communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene, many residents who are hunkering down are concerned about the dangers posed by the piles of debris left in Helene's wake. State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to clear as much debris as possible to prevent the loose wreckage from becoming flying projectiles. Still, piles of soggy furniture, appliances and other trash remained.
In conversations earlier today, the heads of the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center warned of the hurricane's devastating potential, he said. Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history, The Associated Press reported.
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