Florida is this afternoon counting the cost of death and destruction wrought by Hurricane Milton after the brutal storm barreled across the state earlier today.

Milton arrived in Siesta Key near Sarasota as a Category 3 storm overnight and whipped eastwards, pounding towns and cities with ferocious winds rain and a barrage of tornadoes before exiting over Orlando and into the Atlantic Ocean late this morning.

It has caused at least four deaths so far and compounded the misery wrought by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.

There were fears Tampa would be battered by the eye of the storm before Milton tracked south, sparing the city of some 3.1 million a direct hit – but the region was still plunged into a state of major emergency.

The city itself saw significant and St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimetres) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida.

Farther south, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported localised flooding and storm surge, and Lorraine Anderson, the public information officer for Venice Beach, said the area saw an estimated 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2 meters) of storm surge.

As dawn broke Thursday, officials repeated that the danger had not passed – surge warnings were issued for much of the east-central coast of Florida and northward into Georgia, and tropical storm warnings were in place along the coast into South Carolina.

Officials in the hard-hit Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.

The storm also knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 3.2 million homes and businesses reportedly left without electricity and in some cases water.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday morning that the aftermath of Hurricane Milton was not ‘the worst case scenario’.

He told reporters that the worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet – less than the highest levels recorded during Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.

He added crews across the state spent the night clearing debris, and confirmed that President Joe Biden’s administration had agreed to all of Florida’s request for emergency assistance.

‘Our state is a peninsula in the middle of a tropical environment. I mean, we are just built to be able to respond to hurricanes,’ DeSantis said. 

‘We’ll survey the damage and get people on their feet. We’ll get through this.’

Milton also spawned at least 19 tornadoes, the governor said, causing damage in numerous counties and destroying around 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.

Tampa mayor Jane Castor added she was pleased the area did not see storm surges close to the predicted levels of 15 feet, which could have submerged entire houses.

But she urged residents to stay inside and warned that ‘it’s not over’, insisting that Hillsborough County could flood as the high tide returned from 7am EST.

Meanwhile, officials in Sarasota said: ‘We know everyone is eager to see how our community fared following Hurricane Milton.

‘At this time, please stay where you are and continue to shelter in place. It is not safe to venture outside yet.’

Floridians were also warned that their electric vehicles could pose a deadly threat during salt water storm surges.

Fire marshal Jimmy Patronis warned that storm surges in coastal areas can turn EVs and other products powered by lithium-ion batteries into ‘ticking time bombs’, claiming that at least 50 fires were sparked by lithium-ion batteries during Hurricane Helene.

‘The average citizen I guarantee you does not realise they have a liability in their house with the salt water flooding,’ Patronis told the Miami Herald, urging owners to unplug the cars and move them to higher ground.

Even with Milton’s wrath proving less severe than first thought, emergency rescues and cleanup crews have their work cut out to save many residents who remain stranded without power and aid. 

The first casualties were reported even before Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm around 8:30pm EST (1:30am BST), bringing ‘catastrophic’ flooding, 120mph winds and several twisters. 

Milton’s eye slammed into Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles (112 kilometres) south of Tampa, battering houses, overturning vehicles and sucking debris into the air.

The Sheriff of St. Lucie County revealed that ‘multiple fatalities’ were caused when the area was ravaged by a tornado heralding Milton’s arrival.

They died when the twisters hit the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, where many had been sheltering.

After making landfall, Milton began rumbling east, ripping up everything in its path before tearing apart the roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg.

Shocking images showed gaping holes in the fabric that serves as the domed building’s roof, suggesting the stadium may well have been ravaged.

Meanwhile, a tower block housing the offices of the Tampa Bay Times suffered massive damage when a crane was toppled and smashed into its facade, ripping through several stories and sending debris tumbling into the streets below. 

At least 117 tornado warnings were issued in communities across the state overnight and into this morning, with dozens reported to have materialised and wrought havoc.

Meanwhile, some people who were fortunate enough to make their way back into their homes after leaving shelters today were met with a terrifying surprise.

Clips surfaced on social media showing how unsuspecting residents returned home to be confronted by alligators who had worked their way into flooded houses and gardens. 

Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards in Nottingham Trent University, explained Florida’s building codes mean the majority of structures are built to withstand incredible forces – but he said there are thousands of houses that could’ve sustained significant damage.

‘With Milton making landfall to the south, Tampa Bay appears thankfully to have escaped its worst-case scenario with respect to storm surge but considerable wind damage is likely to have been sustained and the area has some of the highest density housing in Florida. 

‘Building codes introduced across the state following the devastation brought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 have made a real difference but it is estimated that over 800,000 homes in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties were built before the adoption of more robust, wind-resistant construction.’ 

The 3.1 million residents of Tampa, who yesterday were told they would suffer a direct hit from Milton, were spared the brunt of the storm.

But the situation in the Tampa area was still a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimetres) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as in other parts of western and central Florida.

Milton slammed into a Florida region still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which caused heavy damage to beach communities with storm surge and killed a dozen people in seaside Pinellas County alone.

About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2  and was later pushed down again to a Category 1 storm.

But it was still registering powerful winds of up to 90 miles (150 kilometers) per hour on Thursday morning as it trundled through Orlando, according to the National Hurricane Center.

‘Very heavy rains and damaging winds continue across much of central Florida. Flash flood emergencies remain in effect,’ the NHC warned.

Entire palm trees were ripped from their trunks and transformers were seen erupting in sparks and flames, lighting up the skies blackened by thick clouds.

One video posted by the NOAA showed gargantuan 28-foot waves – longer than a London bus – churning off Floridian shores while other clips showed violent lightning storms off the coast as the hurricane approached. 

Tidal surges were expected to inundate western Florida’s heavily populated and low-lying Gulf Coast as Milton traverses the Florida Peninsula as a hurricane, eventually to emerge in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. 

It is expected to impact the heavily populated Orlando area which lies directly in Milton’s path.

Earlier, officials issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.

‘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.’

The storm slammed into a region still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the South. 

In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge could toss it around and compound any damage. 

Locals facing Milton’s wrath were warned to brace for a 12ft wall of water, known as a storm surge, that would destroy everything in its path. 

The first of those to be killed by the storm were announced at 2am UK time, in Saint Lucie County, when a tornado struck the Spanish Lakes Country Club where residents of the retirement community had sheltered.

Speaking in at a conference, the Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis said hauntingly: ‘Unfortunately there will be fatalities. I don’t think there’s any way around that.’

About 9,000 National Guard personnel were deployed in Florida, ready to assist recovery efforts, as were 50,000 electricity grid workers in anticipation of widespread power outages, DeSantis said.

Search-and-rescue teams were prepared to head out as soon as the storm passes, working through the night if needed.

‘It’s going to mean pretty much all the rescues are going to be done in the dark, in the middle of the night, but that’s fine. They’re going to do that,’ DeSantis said.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the ‘initial impacts’ of Milton, the White House said, as responses from Democrats and Republicans are likely to be closely scrutinised with just four weeks until the tightly contested US presidential election. 

Milton’s steady and potentially catastrophic march has brought it to the west coast of Florida, where officials earlier sounded urgent warnings for residents to evacuate or face grim odds of survival.

President Biden called it ‘one of the most destructive hurricanes in Florida in over a century’. Despite this, some stubborn residents believe they can ride it out by hunkering down in their homes and even a boat, posting videos on TikTok.

Pop star Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to help with the relief efforts to rebuild once the tempest passes.

People raced to board up homes and flee today as Biden said from the White House: ‘It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole’, urging those under orders to leave to ‘evacuate now, now, now.’

Hurricane Milton had begun the process of making landfall by midnight UK time, but it took another 90 minutes for the eye of the storm to rumble ashore, according to an update from the NHC.

‘The northern eye-wall of Hurricane Milton is now spreading ashore in the Tampa/St Petersburg metro area where an Extreme Wind Warning is now in effect,’ it said.

Water levels had risen close to four feet above normally dry ground in parts of Florida even before the hurricane made landfall.

The hurricane was hurling rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds at the US as time ran out for residents to evacuate.

The National Service Center issued an alert at 2.30pm EST to those in Hurricane Milton’s path, saying it is now time to shelter in place.

‘It’s time to shelter-in-place from #Milton. Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes are spreading inland across FL,’ the agency said on social media.

‘Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates.’

Emergency services were suspended in the region where Milton was expected to make landfall.

Sarasota police said: ‘At 5:39 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, our last patrol vehicle returned to Headquarters. Sustained wind speeds are too strong for emergency services to respond.

‘We will now wait out the storm, just like you, and once it passes, we will begin our rescue and recovery process.’

The NHC stressed that it was not certain where Milton’s centre would come ashore Wednesday night because the storm’s path might ‘wobble,’ but the entire Tampa Bay region and points south were at grave risk.

Tropical storm-force winds began lashing the coast Wednesday afternoon.

Footage of a quivering dog tied to a fence, left to suffer through the hurricane was thankfully rescued by kind passersby who took a photo of him safe and sound.

Florida’s highway patrol wrote on social media: ‘Do not do this to your pets please.’

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, added: ‘It is cruel to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm.

‘(Florida) will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.’

Passengers were airlifted off a cruise ship carrying 600 Brits near Florida as the monster storm approached.

The Sun Princess, which set off from Southampton, Hampshire, two weeks ago diverted to the north coast of Cuba, but those who were vulnerable were airlifted off.

The potent series of tornadoes branching off Hurricane Milton broke Florida’s record for the most tornado warnings in a single day. More than 117 warnings had been issued by Thursday morning.

Earlier, officials issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.

‘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.’

By late afternoon, some officials said the time had passed for such efforts.

‘Unless you really have a good reason to leave at this point, we suggest you just hunker down,’ Polk County Emergency Management Director Paul Womble said in a public update.

Likewise, Pasco County officials told residents it was ‘time to ride out the storm where you are’ and to expect that emergency workers would not be able to respond to calls for several hours during the storm.