The “monster” hurricane, Milton, made landfall near Siesta Key, in Sarasota County, Florida. But as it made landfall, according to analyses by the North American National Hurricane Center (NHC), it significantly decreased in intensity, going from Category 5 – the most devastating – to Category 2. However, US authorities warn that its impact could still be much greater.
dangerous.
The storm brought storm surge to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including densely populated areas like Tampa, St. Petersburg (which received 16 inches of rain), Sarasota and Fort Myers. Before Milton even made landfall, tornadoes touched down across the state. “We lost some lives,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, referring to the storm’s involvement at Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce.
Two million Florida residents were left without power, with Hardee and Sarasota counties hardest hit.
(Online Union)