New satellite images reveal the scale of destruction left behind by deadly Hurricane Milton as devastated Florida residents began the painful process of piecing their lives and homes back together.
Milton crashed into the Florida Gulf Coast late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, with powerful winds, smashing communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago and leaving at least 16 people dead.
Nearly 2.5 million households and businesses remain without power Friday, and some areas in the path cut through by the monster storm are still flooded.
Utility workers are repairing downed power lines and damaged cell phone towers, while crews from government agencies and residents armed with chain saws clear downed trees and mop up flooded streets swamped by Miltons heavy rains.
While Milton never generated the catastrophic surge of seawater that had been feared, officials warn the clean-up operation could take weeks or months to complete.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies show the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida before and after Hurricane Milton, which ripped the roof off of the stadium
This satellite image shows a series of buildings in Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall on Wednesday, before and after the storm
Milton downed power lines, inundated homes, and ripped to shreds fabric that serves as the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg. Debris littered the field.
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and Patrick Space Force Base near Cocoa Beach remain closed Friday, with only authorized personnel are allowed on the bases.
There was damage and flooding at MacDill, which is home to US Central Command and Special Operations Command.
Theres no significant damage at Patrick and teams are working to restore critical infrastructure, according to the Air Force.
Crews from the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office were helping rescue people stranded in rising waters along the Alafia River on Friday.
The river is 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and runs from eastern Hillsborough County, east of Tampa, into Tampa Bay. The sheriffs office asked people to call 911 if they need help getting out of their homes.
The Waterway Condominium Association in Cortez, Florida is pictured before and after Hurricane Milton ravaged the region
Milton downed power lines, flooded communities and inundated homes. Pictured is St. Armands Key in Sarasota before and after the hurricane
The White House has pledged government support as the full extent of the damage is still being surveyed. Satellite images from Maxar Technologies show Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petesburg, Florida before and after Milton
The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, damage from Milton is significant, officials have said. Pictured are homes and greenhouses in Cortez, Florida before and after the devastating Hurricane Milton
At least six people were killed in St. Lucie County, four in Volusia County, two in Pinellas County, and one each in Hillsborough, Polk, Orange and Citrus counties, local officials said.
So far, though, it appeared that tornadoes, rather than floodwaters, were responsible for many of the storms deaths.
Despite the damage and fatalities, Florida was able to avoid the level of catastrophic devastation that officials had feared.
The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst-case scenario, Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference.
However, DeSantis still cautioned that although Florida had avoided the worst-case scenario, the damage was still significant.
The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers between $30billion and $60billion, Morningstar DBRS analyst Marcos Alvarez said Friday.
The figure is much lower than the $100 billion estimated by the firm earlier this week, before the storms arrival on Wednesday evening.
Federal Emergency Management Agency will need additional funding from Congress to help with Miltons devastation. Pictured are Cortez village and coastal businesses before and after Hurricane Milton
Pictured are houses and buildings in Clearwater, Florida before and after Hurricane Milton
Anna Maria Island, Florida is pictured before and after Hurricane Milton
The White House has pledged government support as the full extent of the damage is still being surveyed.
But the Biden Administration also noted the Federal Emergency Management Agency would need additional funding from Congress - where the Republicans control the House and Democrats control the Senate - and urged lawmakers, who are on recess, to act.
Republican Donald Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for their handling of storm recovery efforts.
The federal government...has not done what you are supposed to be doing, in particular, with respect to North Carolina, he said on Thursday. North Carolina was hard-hit by Helene, and Trump faces a tight battle against Harris there.
Harris, who has said Trump is spreading lies about the governments response, hit back at the politicization of the issue during a town hall event on Univision on Thursday.
Sadly, we have seen over the last two weeks, since Hurricane Helene, and now in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games, she said, without naming Trump.
People are rescued from an apartment complex after flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Florida
The roof of the Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, October 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida
Debris lines a street in Clearwater Beach, Florida, on October 11, 2024, following the passage of Hurricane Milton
A truck drives down a flooded street in Siesta Key, Florida, following the passage of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024
A completely destroyed house is seen in Lakewood Park, Florida, after a tornado hit the area and caused severe damage as Hurricane Milton swept through Florida on October 10, 2024
Milton arrived just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helene, which killed 237 people across the US southeast, including in Florida.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are occurring with greater severity and frequency as temperatures rise due to climate change.
As warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, they provide more energy for storms as they form.