Although Milton has moved on, at least 16 are dead and millions remain in the dark

VIDEO: Rescue teams plucked Florida residents from the flotsam of Hurricane Milton on Thursday after the storm smashed through coastal communities where it tore homes into pieces, filled streets with mud and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes. At least 16 people died due to Milton, the latest NBC News report says. Arriving just two weeks after the misery wrought by Hurricane Helene, the system also knocked out power to more than 3 million customers, flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a construction crane. Among the most dramatic rescues, Hillsborough County officers found a a 14-year-old boy floating on a piece of fence and pulled him onto a boat. A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a man who was left clinging to an ice chest in the Gulf of Mexico after his fishing boat was stranded in waters roiled by Hurricane Milton.
WTVJ-TV NBC 6 Miami

Hialeah firefighter’s home in Loxahatchee damaged by tornado after Hurricane Milton plows across Florida

VIDEO: After Hurricane Milton plowed through Florida, one Hialeah firefighter is now dealing with the devastating aftermath after his home in Loxahatchee was hit by a tornado. Raj Belanger was at work in Hialeah on Wednesday when his family had to take cover quickly. He spoke to 7News, Thursday. “She got the tornado warning, heard things increase and they ran into the master bedroom closet and had to bunker down in there and then, tornado came through,” Belanger said. A neighbor who lived nearby shot cellphone video, which captured the tornado coming in. Thankfully, no one was injured but Belanger’s home was damaged by the tornado. He said he tried to get home as soon as he could.
WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami

South Walton Fire District highlighting the team that stops fires before they happen

VIDEO: When you hear “South Walton Fire District”, you likely think of the brave people who jump into action when a fire is happening. But there’s more to it than that. Behind the scenes, there is a group of people who are helping stop or mitigate fires before they even happen. Those people make up South Walton Fire District’s Fire and Life Safety Division. “The Fire and Life Safety Division is basically responsible for ensuring all our commercial properties are in fire and code compliance,” South Walton Fire District Fire Marshal Sammy Sanchez said. A big part of the division is the fire inspectors. While the title may seem obvious, there is a lot of work that goes into it. “It’s a bigger job than people realize. We have to get into the code books, plan review, new construction, maintenance on existing buildings, public education,” Todd Bowser, one of the fire inspectors at South Walton Fire District, said.
WJHG-TV NBC 7 Panama City

Milton moves off Florida’s coast after lashing state with torrential downpours, deadly tornadoes

VIDEO: After making landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Hurricane Milton is moving off the east coast of Florida while continuing to produce damaging winds and life-threatening floods Thursday morning. Even before Milton made landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm, outer bands from the system washed over the state Wednesday morning, sparking up tornadoes and giving residents an idea of the wrath Milton packed. Milton lashed west Florida and surrounding areas Wednesday night, bringing torrential downpours and winds of 120 mph — strong enough to rip the roof off Tropicana Field, a stadium in St. Petersburg housing thousands of first responders. The system is forecast to keep its hurricane status until exiting the east coast of Florida on Thursday morning.
WESH-TV NBC 2 Daytona Beach

Falling trees take down power lines, sparking fire in Altamonte Springs during Hurricane Milton

VIDEO: Seminole County firefighters shared videos of burning power lines which went down in Altamonte Springs during Hurricane Milton. Firefighters responded around 5:49 a.m. Thursday to the 300 block of Forest Avenue, securing the roadway and monitoring the blaze from a distance, the Seminole County Fire Department said on social media. The bulk of the fire self extinguished, the post states, adding the incident was ultimately handed over to the relevant power company. It’s just the latest report in Central Florida of a power line causing a fire after being downed during Hurricane Milton. In Orlando, two cats died in a house fire Wednesday night that was sparked by a downed power line along Jeannine Court.
WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responds to tornado damage in multiple areas

The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue confirmed Wednesday night that it responded to multiple reports of tornadoes, injuries and trapped people in the Wellington, Acreage, and Loxahatchee areas on Wednesday afternoon. Fire rescue said it began to receive 911 telephone calls just before 5 p.m. The calls lasted for more than 50 minutes. Fire rescue added, several tornado-related incidents were found in the Deer Path Lane area of Wellington and near Northlake and Coconut Boulevards in the Acreage and Loxahatchee areas. At least 40 fire rescue units responded to the affected areas while the tornado was active. "Firefighters located and rescued multiple people from damaged structures and vehicles," fire rescue said in a statement.
WPBF-TV ABC 25 Tequesta