Hurricane Milton: 13 dead, millions without power, more than 100 Kiwis caught in deadly storm

A woman collects debris caused by the destruction of the tornado's path in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Photo / AFP

• More than 100 Kiwis are among the millions affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida, which has caused catastrophic flooding and damage.
• 13 people have died in Florida as Governor Ron DeSantis says he expects there to be more casualties.
• Milton has caused widespread power outages and major damage in its wake.

More than 100 Kiwis were among the millions of people in Florida battered by a deadly hurricane overnight, sparking catastrophic flooding and causing significant damage to homes, buildings and stadiums.

It is thought at least 13 people have died.

Five deaths have been confirmed in St Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic coast, where officials said tornadoes touched down.

A resident tows an air mattress with people on it through flooded streets in Tampa, Florida. Photo / AFP

St Petersburg police confirmed there were two storm-related deaths in their city.

Four deaths were reported in Volusia County, according to CBS News, but has since been corrected to three deaths.

People walk past a Wells Fargo bank branch that was destroyed by the intense tornado that hit Cocoa Beach in Florida yesterday. Photo / AFP

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said they are expecting more casualties.

“We haven’t even seen the effects of Hurricane Milton yet,” St Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said.

“I can tell you that there was nothing left to some of these places but foundations.”

He described homes being cars lifted and flipped upside down, some moved hundreds of metres.

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Tornadoes struck parts of the US state, destroying more than 100 homes, while thousands of flights were cancelled as residents tried to evacuate before Hurricane Milton hit with lethal force.

An aerial view shows a Sheriff's Department vehicle moving through flooded streets in Tampa, Florida, yesterday due to Hurricane Milton. Photo / AFP

Power had been knocked out for more than 3 million people across that state while the deadly storm dropped more than 45cm of rain.

160km/h winds tore off the roof of the Tropicana Field which was meant to act as a makeshift shelter for first responders. A tower crane also toppled into a building after the fierce winds.

A crane collapsed into a building in downtown St. Petersburg yesterday due to Hurricane Milton in Florida. Photo / AFP

In Tampa Bay, which was expected to be one of the worst-hit areas, flooding swept the roads and explosions from powerlines and transformers echoed and lit up the sky according to residents.

The path of destruction is smaller in cities further inland like Orlando where Waikato mum Megan Harris,was sheltering on the 14th floor of an Orlando hotel.

A woman collects debris caused by the destruction of the tornado's path in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Photo / AFP

Harris was visiting Florida with her daughter’s dance troupe and is there with 24 dancers aged 15 to 18 and other mums.

She said the girls were feeling “more relaxed” today when she spoke to the Herald at midday (5am NZT).

The Thespa dance troupe from New Plymouth, Hamilton and Auckland were stuck in a hotel in Orlando overnight after performing at the Disney Imagination Campus.

Last night, Harris said the anxiety levels were higher as the storm rolled in.

”[It’s] starting to feel like we are in a hurricane.

”[The] rain and wind on the windows is pretty loud.

”The windows are vibrating from the wind. It’s like they are made to flex.”

The hotel warned the troupe they would have to shelter in bathrooms, corridors and stairways if the storm got 'severe'. Photo / Megan Harris

She said Orlando had been issued with a curfew of 8pm and a flood warning until 2am local time.

Harris was visiting Florida with her daughter’s dance troupe and is there along with 24 girls aged 15 to 18 and other mums.

She said they had been warned by the hotel they would have to shelter in bathrooms, corridors and stairways if the storm got “severe”.

Meanwhile, a Kiwi from Wellington, who didn’t want to be named, hunkered down with his family by the flooded Reunion Resort & Golf Club in Orlando.

About 10.30pm local time he said rain had “kicked up a few notches”. He said it was not yet hurricane force but “I can feel it going up every few minutes”.

“We are from Wellington and it feels like a strong-wind Wellington day.”

A Kiwi from Wellington was bunkered down by the flooded Reunion Resort & Golf Club in Orlando overnight.

After midnight local time, Orlando Police and the Orlando Fire Department had been pulled from the roads to shelter in place as damaging winds battered the city.

Waikato woman Megan Hyland fled Orlando on Wednesday afternoon out of fear of being trapped.

Storm surge smashed the Florida coast. Photo / AFP

The journey out of harm’s way to Atlanta took her 11 hours in the bumper-to-bumper traffic, double the usual time.

She said the foyer of the hotel was packed with “stressed” people when she left.

“It was like Noah’s Ark.”

The US National Hurricane Centre earlier described Milton as a “catastrophic” and “dangerous” major hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 260km/h, putting it at the highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale - a Category 5 hurricane.

President Joe Biden earlier said the storm was expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida in more than a century, with the potential to wipe out entire communities.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.