Hurricane Milton left a trail of devastation when it struck coastal areas of Florida, damaging homes, flooding roads and leaving millions without power.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the extent of damage from the Category 3 storm was still being assessed, but it was “not the worst-case scenario” that many were preparing for.
“The storm was big, but fortunately, this was not the worst-case scenario,” he said during a press conference on Thursday.
“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day goes on.”
Oscar Garcia (right) stands outside his home with his family after being hit by a tornado in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton approached.
Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
A tree fell on the road after Hurricane Milton passed through downtown Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
A car sits in high water in front of a house in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, in Tampa, Florida.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
A car sits in high water in front of a house in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Photos and videos following the storm showed fallen trees, submerged vehicles and damaged infrastructure in various cities.
Drone photos from Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field showed the roof in disrepair.
An aerial view of the torn roof of Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton early Thursday.
Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Drone images over Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, show the torn dome roof and stadium cots, prepared for first responders, among the wreckage on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP
More than 3.3 million people were without power across the state Thursday morning, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.
In St. Lucie County, officials said at least four people were killed after tornadoes hit the county.
About 90 minutes after the hurricane made landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (135 km/h) and had left the state near Cape Canaveral.
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However, officials are still warning of risks that remain in the storm’s aftermath.
The National Weather Service warned people to “be aware of downed power lines and damaged buildings.”
“Avoid floodwaters because they can hide a variety of hazards, and never drive through them, as it doesn’t take much to sweep your car away,” the NWS said on X.
Debris and a gas station awning lie on the ground the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the area Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
A home loses its awning after Hurricane Milton on Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
Jeffrey Wu/Tampa Bay Times via AP
A construction crane fell on an office building that houses the Tampa Bay Times headquarters on Thursday.
Tampa Bay Times via AP
Doug Manning surveys damage to his home in Siesta Key, Florida, after Hurricane Milton made landfall nearby on Thursday. Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, walks over bricks near a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday, as Hurricane Milton’s strong winds swept through the area.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Debris along Commonwealth Avenue blocks the road after Hurricane Milton made landfall Thursday in Siesta Key, Florida.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Debris covers the ground near a crane that fell onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as strong winds from Hurricane Milton swept through the area on Thursday.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
The sign for the Ponce de Leon Hotel fell to the ground after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Lauren Pace/Tampa Bay Times via AP
A crane fell onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as strong winds from Hurricane Milton swept through the area on Thursday.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Waves crash along St. Pete Pier in St. Petersburg, Florida, where Hurricane Milton was expected to make landfall Wednesday evening.
Photography by Brian R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images
Chris Williams rides through a rainstorm as he packs his car to evacuate his apartment before Hurricane Milton arrives Wednesday in Fort Myers, Florida.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Chris Nation, of Commerce, Georgia, slides on puddles in the hotel parking lot as he rode out Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, in Tampa, Florida.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Max Watts, of Buford, Georgia, walks into the parking lot to check out a trailer parked outside the hotel where he rode out Hurricane Milton with his co-workers on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Tourists exit the Disney Springs theme park ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival Wednesday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
AP Photo/John Rao
-With files from The Associated Press
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