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Hurricane Milton hits central Florida heavy rains and strong gusts of wind, After making landfall on the state’s west coast, more than a million people have been forced from their homes, more than 2.6 million homes are without power and two deaths have been confirmed so far.

The authorities stated that At least two people died in the tornado associated with a cyclone in a retirement community in St. Lucie County, on the west coast of Florida.

Milton is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of the theme park city of Orlando and had winds weakening to 165 kph (100 mph), according to the latest advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). hour), although They remain potentially dangerous.

Hurricane hits Siesta Key. on the west coast of Florida, south of Tampa, at 20:30 local time, wind speed up to 205 kilometers per hour, that is, category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (out of 5).

NHC forecasts Milton, now a Category 1, moving east-northeast at about 26 km/h (16 mph), will cross the Florida peninsula overnight (local time) and will be located off the state’s east coast this Thursday.

The entire Milton cone in Florida is seeing rain that is already falling. In some cases, daily rainfall records were exceeded. of this location and are equivalent to an average of several months or even a year, as in the case of the coastal city of St. Petersburg, one of the hardest hit by Milton’s passage, according to CNN.

Cover of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium. The stadium, located in St. Petersburg, was completely destroyed by hurricane winds. The stadium was ready for emergency personnel as soon as Milton drove through the Tampa Bay area.

According to sources from St. Petersburg firefighters, cited by NBC6 in Miami, there were people inside the stadium at the time the roof was torn off. but they were safe and sound because they took refuge in the inner corridors.

For now The extent of damage caused by the hurricane is unknown. that will be seen this Thursday in Florida, but images of its arrival show rising sea levels, flooding, destroyed homes, fallen trees and poles, and drifting boats.

According to the website PowerOutage.us, the number of Florida electric utility customers without service has been growing in more than 2.6 million as the hurricane approaches the interior of the peninsula.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister posted a video online in which he “pleads” residents of this west Florida community, both as a police chief and as a father, Stay under cover and don’t go outside.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management sent the same message: “Stay safe and vigilant through Thursday. Expect flooding throughout, isolated tornadoes and damaging winds!!

The division especially warned residents of Tampa Bay, on the West Coast, where the sea had receded due to spring tide caused by the hurricane, not to enter areas normally covered by the sea. “The water will return with the wave, and there is a risk of death,” he noted.

The sea has risen in Tampa more than 3 meters above normal level.

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Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, more than 1,400 urban search and rescue team members and more than 100 speedboats were deployed across the state. begin search and rescue operations As soon as sunlight appears, they will land on the Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday evening.

State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis told the News Service of Florida that teams from more than a dozen states, including California and Washington, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, were “waiting” for search and rescue operations to begin as soon as possible.

A few days before Milton’s arrival, Florida authorities released orders to evacuate millions of peopleHe was in a vast area of ​​the state and warned that staying in these places poses a risk to life.

(EFE)