Over 2.6 million without power as hurricane Milton slams into Florida

Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida overnight as a Category 3 storm, producing a barrage of tornados that left millions without power and several dead.

The extent's of the destruction from the hurricane is not yet clear, however videos posted on social media appeared to show buildings and infrastructure totally destroyed.

In Tampa, a city on Florida's Gulf Coast, a stadium's roof was ripped to shreds with multiple cranes surrounding the pitch brought down by fierce winds.

Multiple officials have reported that the storm has claimed lives, although it is unclear exactly how many as search and rescue efforts have not yet begun.

Over 2.6 million homes and businesses were without power after the storm, according to poweroutrage.us, which tracks utility reports.

The highest number of outages were in Sarasota County — where the storm made landfall — and in neighbouring Manatee County.

Before making landfall overnight, the storm spawned multiple deadly tornados, which experts said were unusual in their ferocity.

“It’s definitely out of the ordinary,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. “Hurricanes do produce tornadoes, but they’re usually weak. What we saw today was much closer to what we see in the Great Plains in the spring.”

Earlier in the day, officials told residents to evacuate framing the situation as a matter of life or death.

“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. “Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.”

US President Joe Biden also called on residents to evacuate from what he called the "storm of a century."

Biden added that the government would provide 20 million meals and 40 million litres of water as well as military units with search and rescue teams for the storm's aftermath.

The storm slammed into a region still reeling from hurricane Helene two weeks prior, which flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 dead.

Residents still recovering from hurricane Helene had little time to flee from hurricane Milton, with emergency services suspending operations Wednesday evening. Those who did not evacuate in time were told to hunker down as the storm approached.

By Thursday morning, the storm had weakened to a Category 1 — however experts warn that winds and potential flooding could still cause damage to infrastructure and pose danger to civilians.