Danger continues in the wake of Hurricane Milton, and first deaths reported

At least four people have died following Hurricane Milton in Florida. These first deaths were recorded by St. Lucie County authorities, who detailed that they were the product of two tornadoes.

With the eye of the hurricane now in the Atlantic, flooding, dangerous debris, power outages and possibly infectious bacteria in the rising water have been left in its wake. Timing is crucial to reduce deadly damage, as Governor Ron DeSantis insisted: "We have post-storm fatalities almost every storm." As of 6 a.m., there were still hundreds of rescue operations, with 48 rescues successfully completed.

The message is unanimous at all levels of government: the danger continues. President Joe Biden urged Floridians to "stay inside and off the roads."

"Downed power lines, debris, and road washouts are creating dangerous conditions," he explained. "Help is on the way, but until it arrives, shelter in place until your local officials say it’s safe to go out."

Assessing the damage

Although it was still of "significant" impact, Milton did not meet the most dire expectations. This was assured by the governor, who explained that fortunately, the storm lost strength shortly before making landfall.

The area worst affected by the storm surge appears to be Sarasota, where the hurricane entered the peninsula on Wednesday. Here, too, the impact was minor: "Likely somewhere between 8 to 10 feet, and remember with Helene we had 15 to 20 feet up in Taylor County."

As for economic damage, DeSantis preferred not to provide estimates. He even asked a reporter after being pressed to "give me a break": "They're doing damage assessments now," He did venture to say that he believes it was not as destructive as Hurricane Ian in 2022.