“Milton” rages in Florida – severe damage reported
Updated on October 10, 2024, 10:20 a.m
It is still night in the USA, but a picture of the destruction left by the hurricane is already emerging. Millions of people have no electricity – and locally there is no drinking water either.
Hurricane “Milton” caused extensive damage on its path through the US state of Florida. According to initial reports, the region south of the city of Tampa on the east coast, which had already been classified as a high-risk area before the hurricane hit, was particularly affected.
In the city of St. Petersburg, the city turned off drinking water after a water pipe burst. Water must be boiled for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth until further notice, the authorities said in a statement. Repairs would begin as soon as it was safe for workers. About 260,000 people live in St. Petersburg.
Media also reported uprooted trees, fallen power poles and flooding in several Florida cities. More than 2.6 million homes in the state were without power, according to data from the website poweroutage.us.
Baseball stadium roof damaged
Also in St. Petersburg, a crane collapsed on a construction site, the authorities reported. The roof of the Tropicana Field baseball stadium was also damaged. The stadium had been used as a staging area for first responders before the storm arrived, according to local media reports. No injuries have been reported so far in the two incidents.
“Milton” reached the west coast of Florida as a category 3 of 5 hurricane and weakened over land.
© dpa
