Floridians about Milton. “The scariest thing I've ever experienced”, “I told my wife we'd be next”

Milton hit the west coast of Florida on Wednesday evening local time as a Category 3 hurricane on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. It carried winds of over 195 kilometers per hour. Later, as a category 1 hurricane, it moved eastward across the peninsula, destroying everything in its path.

At least 16 people died as a result of the hurricane's impact, CNN reported on Friday. Most victims were reported in St. County. Lucie.

In some areas of Florida, such as the city of St. Petersburg, rainfall amounts that statistically occur once every thousand years were recorded, CNN reported. In just three hours, as much rain fell there as it usually falls in three months.

“Do not go home until it is truly safe,” said the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She added that evacuees should only return home when local authorities say it is safe to do so.

Tampa officials are urging drivers to be careful as the city grapples with broken traffic lights and flooded roads. – If you see water on the road, turn around, said local police chief Lee Bercaw at a press conference on Friday. “You could potentially be injured or even killed,” he added.

According to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, two-thirds of the city's traffic lights are out due to power outages. She added that power outages and gas shortages are among the main issues facing Tampa residents.

Florida's largest energy company, Duke Energy, warns that energized power lines may be hidden under rubble. “We encourage people to stay away from debris that may contain wires,” said Melissa Seixas, president of Duke Energy in Florida.

As of Friday morning local time, nearly 900,000 of Duke Energy's two million customers were still without power. The most significant outages were reported in Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg – over 80 percent of households there remain without power.

In the Tampa-St. area Petersburg 77.5 percent gas stations have no fuel – reported the GasBuddy platform, which monitors gasoline prices.

According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, nearly 1,000 people have been rescued so far. 23 search and rescue teams, water rescue units and the Florida National Guard are taking part in the search for the missing people. In one dramatic action, the team saved a single mother and her four children. The family was trapped in flood waters for seven hours.

On Friday, the Coast Guard reopened some ports closed by Hurricane Milton, including Key West and Port Miami, Florida, as well as several ports in Georgia and South Carolina. Numerous ports in Florida, including St. Petersburg and Fort Myers, remain closed.

According to CNN, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport will remain closed on Friday. It added that Tampa International Airport will reopen after a three-day suspension of flights.

In Saint Petersburg County, city crews are battling more than 30 water main bursts caused by fallen trees. Local authorities are calling on people to boil water before drinking it, at least for the next few days.

In Orange County, authorities urged residents to refrain from swimming in lakes and rivers due to high water levels, potential pollution, moving wildlife and submerged structures.

On Friday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted a video on social media showing police officers rescuing a 91-year-old woman. Officers carry a woman, without shoes, out of the house. The rescue operation was carried out in Lithia, Florida.

One of the places hardest hit by the disaster is St. County. Lucie on the east coast of Florida.

– I have lived in Florida since 1989. I have never, ever experienced such destruction or the number of tornadoes that passed through this area […]. It was the most terrible thing I have ever experienced, said a resident of the county.

In St. Lucie, dangerous storms tore down power lines, uprooted trees, overturned cars and turned houses into piles of rubble.

Six people died in this county alone, some of them residents of modular homes.

– Their entire houses, with them inside, were lifted, moved, destroyed. “I mean, everything that was in the path of the hurricane or that tornado was gone,” Sheriff Keith Pearson said.

Survivors of the disaster describe their terrifying experiences.

– The tornado was heading straight for us. We saw transformers explode along the road and our camper began to lift. It stood on two wheels. I saw a trailer overturn on the corner. I told my wife we ​​would be next, but the camper fell back to the ground. We waited until it was safe again to return to the shelter. “Literally, it was over,” Keith Hurry, a resident of Sunnier Palms in St. County, told CNN. Lucie. – When we left, I couldn't believe the amount of destruction – he added.

The hurricane caused considerable damage to the settlement unit of Siesta Key in Florida. Some of its inhabitants believe that it will not survive such destructive elements again.

– People are frustrated, angry, scared. There were a lot of tears, said CNN reporter Randi Kaye, describing her conversations with residents. She added that one family moved to Siesta Key just a month ago from Texas. Their home has been destroyed twice here, first by Helene and now by Milton.

– You must have a fortress to survive so strong storms – another resident of Siesta Key told CNN.

The scale of destruction caused by Milton is revealed in many places. CNN reporters described the disaster areas as “carnage.” Suitcases, mattresses, televisions and personal items such as photos are scattered around the apartments. For example, trucks were also destroyed.

– These trucks weigh approximately 18 tons when empty, approximately 40 tons when full […]. Imagine how much power and strength it takes to get this truck to this condition – described the CNN reporter in his report.