Crystal Coleman sits outside the remnants of her home in St Lucie County, Florida, and wonders where she and her daughter will spend the night.One of at least a dozen tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton tore through this low-income community in south Florida, killing at least five residents. At least 16 people are known to have died across the US state.Crystal is happy to be alive but at a loss over what to do next.”All of a sudden the door to my attic flew off, all the objects in my house started flying around,” Ms Coleman told BBC News on Thursday.
“It was terrifying, we were absolutely frightened. It felt like the hurricane had torn straight through our home.”Her neighborhood is just one of many across Florida left in ruins after Hurricane Milton tore through the state, causing widespread destruction and leaving millions without power.As Milton made landfall Wednesday evening, tornadoes followed in its wake, a phenomenon meteorologists say can sometimes accompany severe tropical storms.Crystal’s home suffered significant damage: parts of her roof were ripped off, and windows were shattered. Just down the street on Thursday, volunteers from a local non-profit were serving hundreds of hot meals to those affected. With power outages and no running water, residents are grateful for a warm meal and the kindness of neighbors.
The devastation is evident along the main road: a tractor trailer overturned, the roof torn off a gas station, trees uprooted. Many residents have reached out to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance, but their immediate concerns remain shelter and food for the night.Milton’s destructive path is still being assessed by state officials, and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days.The storm dumped up to 18 inches (45 cm) of rain in some areas, flooding neighborhoods and roads, and damaging businesses, homes, and public spaces. Despite the widespread damage, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remarked that the state did not face “the worst-case scenario.”Many residents heeded evacuation orders, with around 80,000 people seeking refuge in shelters overnight.”My impression is that many people left the evacuation zones as advised,” DeSantis said.Even so, emergency teams conducted hundreds of rescues across the state, utilizing large vehicles, boats, and helicopters. In one dramatic rescue, more than 400 residents were saved from a heavily flooded apartment complex in Pinellas County. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard rescued a ship captain found clinging to a floating cooler 30 miles (48 km) offshore.
