While Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast Wednesday evening, the region braced for severe impacts but luckily avoided the major storm surge that was expected. However, the storm unleashed powerful winds and heavy rain across other parts of the state, particularly affecting the east coast and inland areas.

In the central and eastern regions of Florida, Milton caused tornadoes, resulting in several fatalities according to officials. The storm’s winds also caused trees to fall, leading to fatalities in residences.

The effects of Milton reached far beyond its landfall, causing structural damage, overturned vehicles, and flooding. Wind gusts of over 100 mph were recorded in Mulberry, around 35 miles from Tampa, while Bartow experienced winds reaching 94 mph. At the Melbourne Orlando International Airport, strong winds infamously ripped a massive hole in the roof.

Some areas further inland suffered fewer effects, though power outages and roadblocks were still significant. In Marion County, which includes Ocala and is located about 100 miles northeast of Tampa, officials reported downed power lines, fallen trees, and damaged transformers, but fortunately no major injuries or damage.

“We were fortunate,” remarked Richard McKendrick, a resident from Lakeland, just 40 miles from Tampa Bay.

Relief amidst preparation: Minimal damage from Milton

In the Lakeland Highlands, McKendrick, a 58-year-old attorney, and his family spent Thursday clearing debris from their yard. After riding out the storm overnight, they found minimal damage when inspecting their neighborhood the next morning, encountering only some downed branches and a few missing roof shingles. Their elevated area avoided the flooding seen in other locations.

“We really feel lucky. It could have been much worse,” McKendrick shared with YSL News.

McKendrick noted that their power flickered through the night, but he was able to avoid using his generator. A long-time Lakeland resident, he observed that while Milton had strong winds, it was less severe than previous hurricanes he has experienced, even though the uncertainty during the storm was unnerving.

“When you’re experiencing it, you just manage it as it comes,” he stated.

Throughout Polk County, where Lakeland is located, downed trees, damaged buildings, and flooded streets were prevalent. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a traffic-related death associated with the storm, and rescue operations were carried out at the Melody Acres mobile home park.

Counties inland face power outages, flooding, and property damage

While the western coast experienced the most severe effects of Hurricane Milton, inland counties like Polk also dealt with flooding, wind damage, and power disruptions.

The eye of the storm passed directly through Polk County around 11:00 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in wind gusts approaching 100 mph, as reported by Paul Womble, the county’s emergency management director. The storm also released over a foot of rain, saturating areas prone to flooding.

“A significant portion of our county is submerged,” Womble stated, having arrived at the emergency operations center early Wednesday morning and not returning home since.

During the storm’s impact, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office could not address hazards like downed trees and power lines until conditions improved.

While there were no mandatory evacuations in place, officials urged residents in mobile homes, RVs, and flood-prone areas to find safer shelter. Over 6,500 individuals, some from surrounding counties, took refuge in 20 county emergency shelters, but many started to vacate swiftly on Thursday.

As recovery efforts commenced, nearly half of the local electricity customers were still without power on Thursday, according to a statewide outage tracking service from YSL News Network-Florida.

Womble emphasized that search and rescue operations were a primary focus for recovery efforts on Thursday, as officials began evaluating the extent of the damage.

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Restoration efforts are ongoing to bring back power and mobile service.

“Achieving full recovery from such severe impacts may take years,” he commented.

In nearby Hardee County, emergency responders halted operations overnight due to dangerous wind speeds that jeopardized their safety. Officials advised residents to remain indoors on Thursday while crews evaluated road conditions; streetlights throughout the county were non-operational, as nearly all of the county’s 9,640 electricity customers were without power on Thursday.

Flooding caused by Hurricane Milton in Lake County triggered a significant spill of nearly 2 million gallons of sewage from a wastewater treatment facility in Leesburg. The floodwaters short-circuited backup generators, resulting in this spillage. Many roads were washed away, blocked by fallen trees, and in some instances, wind conditions remained hazardous, preventing crews from restoring power to over 100,000 residents. Public schools will remain closed for the rest of the week.

In Belleview, situated outside Ocala, Police Chief Terry Holland reported that Thursday some local roads were impeded by downed trees, with one tree landing on a house. Dunnellon Mayor Walter Green mentioned that most residents had been without power since Wednesday evening. A tree fell on another home, and a woman was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Tornadoes Cause Destruction on Florida’s East Coast

A tornado that is believed to have swept through Cocoa Beach in Brevard County led to the destruction of numerous homes and buildings. The roof of a Wells Fargo was torn off, and a Supercuts was leveled. The mayor’s residence also sustained damage. A hotel in Grant had to be evacuated due to flooding, and streets ranging from Satellite Beach to Rockledge were inundated.

In St. Lucie, Nancy Larson and her grandson drove around on Thursday morning to check the condition of their neighborhood following the hurricane.

When she reached Lakewood Park Church in Fort Pierce, tears filled her eyes. The church she had been attending for over a year, where her grandson was recently baptized, had suffered extensive damage.

This church is located near the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, where four lives were lost when a tornado, spawned by Hurricane Milton, unexpectedly touched down on Wednesday.

The church’s sanctuary roof was largely torn away, windows exploded outwards, and numerous large trees were uprooted and scattered throughout the property, including one tree that got lodged in the windshield of a Lexus parked in the lot.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Larson shared with Treasure Coast Newspapers, part of the YSL News Network. “Simply heartbreaking.”