Florida left with trail of destruction

TAMPA, Fla. − Hurricane Milton howled across the Florida Panhandle on Thursday, tearing a path of destruction from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic as it flooded neighborhoods, destroyed homes, tore the roof off a major sports venue and toppled a massive crane into an office building.

In downtown Tampa early Thursday, fierce winds tore down traffic lights, ripped signs out of the ground, and sent construction barricades scudding across the wet pavement. Milton’s winds also ripped off plywood meant to keep the storm out, and a portion of a downtown building’s brick facade collapsed, partially blocking a road.

But Tampa Bay apparently was spared a massive storm surge, instead experienced a reverse storm surge that drove water away from the shoreline.

Milton made landfall late Wednesday on the state’s western coast as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds amid a flurry of tornadoes it spawned. 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.

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. More than 3 million homes and businesses were dark by early Thursday, according to USA TODAY power outage data.

A flash flood emergency was in effect for Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, the hurricane center said, after parts of the area were blasted with more than 16 inches of rain Wednesday.

The eye of the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota about 60 miles south of the Tampa. Milton’s powerful assault comes two weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed into the Florida coast on its way to devastating communities across seven states.

Developments

∎ Oil prices rose Thursday on a spike in fuel demand, the impact of Milton in Florida and concerns about potential supply disruptions in the Middle East amid heightened tensions between Israel and major oil producer Iran. The storm has already driven up demand for gasoline in the state, with about a quarter of fuel stations selling out of supplies, which has helped to support crude prices.

∎ Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to hurricane relief efforts for victims of Helene and Milton, the non-profit organization Feeding America announced.

Crane collapsed into Tampa Bay Times’ office building

Officials reported late Wednesday that a crane collapsed near a building construction site in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the crane left a gaping hole in an office building that houses several businesses, including the newspaper. No injuries were immediately reported.

“The public is urged to continue to shelter in place” but avoid the area, the city of St. Petersburg said in a statement.

“We can confirm one crane cab in the upper section of the mast has fallen,” said John Catsimatidis, the CEO of Red Apple Group, which is developing the skyscraper the Times reported. “We are working with city officials and others to assess the situation.”

MLB stadium Tropicana Field damaged

Milton battered the Tampa Bay area with high winds and heavy rains after making landfall late Wednesday. St. Petersburg, Florida, officials confirmed that destructive winds damaged the roof at Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. The ballpark was repurposed as a base camp for thousands of emergency responders as Florida braced for Milton. Footage from local television stations and photos shared on social media showed part of the stadium’s roof torn off amid high winds.

The domed stadium has been home to the Tampa Bay Rays since the team’s inaugural season in 1998, though plans are in the works to replace it by 2028. It’s among the smallest MLB stadiums by seating capacity, but Tropicana Field features a slanted roof designed at an angle in part to better protect it from hurricanes.

− Thao Nguyen, Eric Lagatta

Tornadoes rip through southwest Florida

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.

North Fort Myers resident Scott Fincher was sitting on the lanai of his Pine Lakes community home with his family, waiting for Milton. As they waited, they passed the time watching the local news, which was reporting on the “tornado outbreak.”

Reporters then announced a tornado was headed into sister community Lake Fairways, which shares a boundary with Pine Lakes. That’s when Fincher knew: they had to hide.

Fincher immediately began moving everyone into the home: his wife, his sister-in-law and his dog. “Just as we were moving everybody in, that’s when it came through,” Fincher said, “and when I heard the rumbling.”

“It was a wall of black,” Fincher said. “It was just as black as could be . . . I felt fear. You could feel the ground shaking a little bit, the house and everything.”

− Kate Cimini, Fort Myers News-Press

Analysts: Hurricane Milton could cost insurers up to $100 billion

Hurricane Milton could result in losses of up to $100 billion for the global insurance industry, creating a surge in 2025 reinsurance prices that could boost some insurance companies’ shares, analysts said Wednesday.

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.

“At this point, it’s too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to shelter in place and just hunker down,” DeSantis said upon announcing the landfall.

Insured losses from Milton could range from $60 billion to $100 billion if the hurricane makes direct landfall in the densely populated area of Tampa, analysts at Morningstar DBRS said. A loss of $100 billion would put Milton on par with Katrina in 2005, they added, adding that insured losses would likely be “substantial but not catastrophic.”

Contributing: Reuters

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