The storm toppled several large cranes and knocked out power in much of Florida. Early Thursday, more than 2.8 million homes and businesses were without power. In St. Petersburg, a water main break caused the city to cut off water access. A reporter for the Tampa Bay Times shared video of the street outside the newspaper’s offices, showing massive destruction.

Hurricane Milton, still bringing heavy rain, is expected to continue moving through Florida today and also impact the Orlando area. The risk of flooding continues to threaten much of the state, and strong winds are beginning to hit the eastern side of the state, according to CNN.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, issued a flash flood warning in the early hours of Thursday, noting that “life-threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses” is likely.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, “We have lost some lives,” but did not provide clarity on the death toll. The total number of victims from Hurricane Milton has yet to be confirmed. About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Many of them were mobile homes in senior living communities.

Earlier this week, local authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders in 15 Florida counties, affecting about 7.2 million people. “I can say without any dramatization, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you will die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on CNN. “If we have that predicted storm surge, it will not be survivable.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned Tuesday morning that “time is running out” to evacuate. “But you do have time today to follow any evacuation orders and do what you need to do to protect yourselves and our families,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded to the devastation in Florida on Wednesday evening, confirming that she had spoken with St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. “I let him know: our government stands with the people of St. Petersburg as they prepare for Hurricane Milton, and we will be with them as long as it takes to recover,” she wrote on X.

She added, “President Biden and I were briefed on our coordinated preparations for Hurricane Milton. There are federal personnel on the ground in Florida, and we are in constant contact with local leaders to ensure communities have the resources and support they need.”

Milton’s landfall comes nearly two weeks after much of the southeastern U.S. was devastated by Hurricane Helene. Cities such as Ashville, North Carolina, were severely damaged and residents lost power and telephone service. More than 200 people have been confirmed dead.

Following the destruction, several artists, including Ben Folds, Luke Combs, Eric Church and Sturgill Simpson, confirmed they would play benefit shows to raise money for relief efforts. Yesterday, Taylor Swift donated $5 million to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton relief efforts.