Photos show aftermath after Hurricane Milton tears path of damage through Florida
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY
Updated
1 min read
Photos show aftermath after Hurricane Milton tears path of damage through Florida
Flooded streets. Downed trees. Destroyed homes and buildings.
That's the aftermath left by the exiting Hurricane Milton, which tore a path of destruction Wednesday night through a large swath of Florida after making its doomed landfall. On Thursday morning, first-responders and residents unable or unwilling to flee were only beginning to understand the extent of the havoc the powerful storm wreaked when it hit the state at Category 3 strength.
As of Thursday morning, millions were left without power and at least two were dead. Photographs show the devastation in bleak terms, highlighting not just the damage itself, but the people now forced to pick up the pieces of their battered communities while still reeling from Hurricane Helene not two weeks prior.
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Here's a look:
Live updates on Milton: Hurricane Milton leaves destruction across storm-weary Florida
See photos of Hurricane Milton after Florida landfall
Tampa and St. Petersburg
View of the damaged roof of Tropicana Field stadium, the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. October 10, 2024.
A view shows a collapsed construction crane that fell on the building that also hosts the offices of the Tampa Bay Times, after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. October 10, 2024.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 10: A crane sits on the street after crashing down into the building housing the Tampa Bay Times offices after the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 10: A crane sits on the street after crashing down into the building housing the Tampa Bay Times offices after the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 10: The roof at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained major damage because of high winds associated with Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Fort Myers
A Fort Myers resident looks over his home that was damaged Wednesday in a possible tornado associated with Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 09: Surge waters flood the street after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Sarasota area on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 09: A person walks through surge waters after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Sarasota area on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.
A car plows through a flooded street Wednesday in downtown Fort Myers, Florida. The city was among the areas the southwest portion of the state to be battered by tornadoes that caused extensive damage.
Downtown Fort Myers, Florida, started to flood as Hurricane Milton hit Wednesday. In the aftermath of the storm, which was exiting the state near Cape Canaveral at Category 1 strength, neighborhoods were flooded, homes destroyed and the roof of Tropicana Field torn off.
Clearwater
Residents are rescued from an their second story apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in Florida.
A woman looks on from her second story balcony as residents of an apartment complex are rescued due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in Clearwater, Florida. At least four people were confirmed killed as a result of two tornadoes triggered by Hurricane Milton on the east coast of the US state of Florida, local authorities said Thursday.
Punta Gorda
PUNTA GORDA - OCTOBER 10: In this aerial view, a boat is washed ashore from when Hurricane Milton passed through the area on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Siesta Key area of Florida, causing damage and flooding throughout Central Florida.
Venice
A drone view shows buildings and structures damaged by Hurricane Milton after it made landfall, in Venice, Florida, U.S., October 10, 2024.
A drone view shows buildings submerged in water after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in Venice, Florida, U.S., October 10, 2024.
Orlando
A view shows a fallen traffic light near a police car, after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, in Orlando, Florida, U.S., October 10, 2024.
Atlantic coast
Debris along State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach after a tornado struck ahead of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall late Wednesday on the state's western coast as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds.
Heavy wind blows through the trees off a boardwalk Wednesday in Indialantic, Florida as hurricane Milton approachesd. After landfall, the system was exiting the state early Thursday near Cape Canaveral, still at Category 1 hurricane strength driving winds of 85 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. update.
Damage caused by a possible tornado from the outer bands of Hurricane Milton is seen Wednesday in Cocoa Beach, Florida. More than 3.2 million homes and businesses were dark by early Thursday.
A man runs for cover Wednesday as a rain band from Hurricane Milton made its way through West Palm Beach. The eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota about 50 miles south of the Tampa.
A 12-year-old girl comforts her dog after a suspected tornado went through her family's property in Port Salerno. Milton's powerful assault comes two weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed into the Florida coast on its way to devastating communities across seven states.
Suspected tornado damage is seen in Port Salerno. Milton, which slammed into Florida's already storm-blasted west coast Wednesday night, spawned at least 19 tornadoes and caused damage in numerous counties, destroying around 125 homes, most of them mobile homes, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office was damaged in Fort Pierce as Hurricane Milton crossed into Florida. At least two deaths were reported at a retirement community following a suspected tornado in Fort Pierce on the state's east coast, NBC News reported, citing St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson.
A boat is overturned in Port Salerno after a suspected tornado roared through the area amid Hurricane Milton's landfall in Florida. The high speed winds blowing off Hurricane Milton and whipping into tornadoes were keeping first responders along Florida’s Gulf Coast off the roads and unable to attempt any rescues when the storm hit.
First-responders carry away a person around 5:30 a.m. Thursday in South Daytona as Hurricane Milton moves through the county. The storm was keeping first responders along Florida’s Gulf Coast off the roads and unable to attempt any rescues when it first hit. Florida authorities had been warning that although people can call 911 for help over the phone, they would effectively be on their own until Milton passed over.
Residents survey the damage left after a tornado roared through Port Salerno amid Hurricane Milton's landfall. Reported tornadoes tore through parts of southwest Florida on Wednesday, including in Collier County and Lee County, causing extensive damage across Fort Myers and Cape Coral, local authorities said.
Wreckage from a tornado that roared through residential areas Wednesday in Wellington, Florida before Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Milton damage, aftermath: Photos show destruction in Florida