'Milton,' rated as an ultra-powerful hurricane occurring once in 100 years, made landfall in Florida, USA, on the night of the 9th (local time). Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds poured throughout the night, causing part of the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium in Major League Baseball (MLB) to be blown away, and approximately 2.8 million households across Florida experienced power outages.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day, Hurricane Milton made landfall on the coast of Siesta Key in Sarasota County, western Florida. At the time of landfall, Milton was a Category 3 hurricane out of the five hurricane categories, weakened from Category 5 two days earlier but still maintaining strong intensity. It later weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph by early morning on the 10th. Currently, Milton is moving northeast about 30 miles from Orlando.
As Hurricane Milton surged inland overnight, reports of power outages continued across Florida. According to CNN, as of early morning on the 10th, about 2.8 million households were without power. In some counties, over 80% of households experienced outages. In the Tampa area, strong winds blew, causing part of the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium to be torn off. Reports also indicated that several cranes collapsed. Although there were reports of deaths in some areas such as St. Lucie County from WPTV and others, these have not yet been officially confirmed.
In Florida's Orlando, Deltona, and Daytona areas, a second-highest level emergency flood warning out of three levels has been issued. The U.S. National Weather Service stated, "Following 5 to 9 inches of rainfall, an additional 3 to 6 inches may fall in the warned areas." CNN reported that this level of heavy rain could have serious consequences, requiring urgent measures to protect life and property. St. Petersburg received as much as 16 inches of rain, half of which fell within just two hours, according to The Guardian.
Milton is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this year and the third in Florida alone. The region had already suffered damage from Hurricane Hermine, a Category 4 hurricane, which made landfall at the end of last month. In preparation for Milton's landfall, Florida issued mandatory evacuation orders for 15 counties, home to approximately 7.2 million residents.
Famous theme parks in Florida, including Disneyland, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld, were closed. Disneyland is expected to remain closed on the 10th as well. Orlando International Airport and others suspended operations, resulting in the cancellation of about 1,900 flights. President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for the Florida area and postponed his planned trips to Germany and Angola.
Locally, with less than a month remaining until the U.S. presidential election, the hurricane damage recovery has emerged as a key issue, leading to assessments that it is playing the role of an "October Surprise." The October Surprise refers to unexpected events occurring in October just before the U.S. presidential election. The Washington Post (WP) noted, "Typically, there is a direct trend of decreased voter turnout centered in severely affected areas," highlighting the connection between hurricanes and elections.
Florida currently has a Republican governor, but it has been classified as a battleground state in the past. CNN reported that former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is already using the hurricane response to attack the Biden administration and Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
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