MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hurricane Milton leaves at least 12 dead in Florida

“It's going to take several billion dollars” to build back from Milton, Biden said

At least 12 people have been confirmed dead Thursday in the U.S. state of Florida, where Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving millions without power and causing severe damage. According to PowerOutage.us, 2.63 million homes were still without power in Florida Thursday night.

Most of the casualties were reportedly in St. Lucie County, in the eastern panhandle. Florida Highway Patrol, Florida National Guard and Fish and Wildlife relief crews were still searching for survivors after the storm had passed.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Tampa-St. Petersburg area had avoided the huge storm forecast earlier. Rescuers “have been working 24/7, particularly on the west coast of Florida,” the governor said.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said Tampa's storm surge was not as large as forecast. “One of the blessings for us is that we didn't see that predicted storm surge. That saved us a lot,” he stressed. According to early estimates, damages are believed to be approximately $50 billion, which may seem like a considerable amount but was nevertheless well below the worst-case scenario.

President Joseph Biden stated that federal aid was on the way and urged Congress to approve extra funding for disaster relief. “Total rebuilding is going to take a long time,” he said. “It's going to take several billion dollars. It's not going to be just a little bit. But we're scrambling now to make sure people have the emergency aid they need.”

Biden was also critical of GOP campaign statements about giving money to Hurricane Helene survivors. “It's a lie to suggest that's all they're going to get. It's bizarre. It's bizarre. They need to stop this. I mean, they're being very un-American with the way they're talking about these things,” Biden stressed. He also said he discussed Milton with DeSantis in a phone conversation.