Hurricane Milton: Inside look at Florida’s hard-hit barrier islands
After taking a direct hit from powerful and destructive Hurricane Milton, officials have reopened access to the barrier islands. Reporting from Fort Myers, NBC’s Sam Brock tours the extensive damage for "TODAY."
Deputies rescue 135 from assisted living home in Tampa
Sheriff's deputies used rafts, boats and amphibious vehicles to rescue 135 people from an assisted living home in Hillsborough County yesterday.
“This is extraordinary to see this type of flooding, especially in this type of area,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a video on Facebook.
The rescue at Great American Assisted Living Community, in the University Square district of Tampa, took place before 10 a.m. yesterday.
Hurricane Milton: Death toll rises, millions remain without power
Communities in Florida are struggling to recover in the wake of Hurricane Milton, as millions of homes and businesses are still left without power. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports for "TODAY."
Coast Guard reopens ports but urges caution
After the turmoil of Milton, the U.S. Coast Guard said it was reopening ports across the southeastern United States today — but stressed that mariners should still be cautious.
In Florida, Key West, Port Everglades, Port Miami and the Miami River post have been reopened.
In Georgia, Brunswick and Savannah are now open, while in South Carolina, Charleston and Georgetown have also reopened.
Several ports are still closed across Florida, as emergency services assess the damage. These include: St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, Port of Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville and Fernandina.
The Coast Guard added: "Stay off the water and out of the way of rescue crews unless you are playing a critical role in the response. This is not a time for disaster sightseeing."
No more rain forecast for Tampa Bay in next week
There is at least some good news for communities rebuilding after the double shock of Helene and Milton: there will be no more rain, at least not for the next week.
The National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay said this morning that the next seven days looked dry, with temperatures in the 60s, normal for this time of year.
Orange County man killed by downed power line, police say
A man has been killed in Orange County, Florida, by a power line that came down during Hurricane Milton, police said in a statement this morning.
Officers were called to Pine Island Place on Pine Island at 4:53 p.m. yesterday, after receiving a report of an unresponsive man.
"When they arrived, they found a man in his 60s who was deceased in his yard. It appears the man stepped on a downed power line while cleaning debris from the storm," Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
The unidentified man becomes the 16th person known to have been killed during Milton and its aftermath.
Fake images of hurricane survivors have become a bizarre meme
Pluto holding a girl in his paws while trekking through a flooded Disney World. Godzilla crying while cradling a giant bug in a flooded city street. A small girl in a lifejacket seated on a boat next to a green alien baby.
Absurd and comical rescue images that appear to have been made with artificial intelligence have sprung up on social media this week as Hurricane Milton hit Florida, a reaction to the earlier proliferation of more realistic fake images related to Hurricane Helene.
Sailor survived clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Milton hit
The U.S. Coast Guard carried out the remarkable rescue yesterday of a man left holding on to a cooler overnight in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Milton.
The unidentified man was on board a fishing boat that got into trouble Wednesday off Madeira Beach, Florida, the Coast Guard said. He radioed for help but contact was lost at about 6:45 p.m.
He was found yesterday about 30 miles from Longboat Key clinging on to a cooler chest — video shared by the Coast Guard shows the moment he was rescued by a diver lowered by a helicopter.
"This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," Coast Guard official Dana Grady said in a statement.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, but his status is not known.
Woman confirmed dead in Tampa, bringing total to 15
Tampa Police confirmed that a woman died from a falling tree branch yesterday.
That brings the total number of people known to have died as a result of Hurricane Milton to 15.
Police said in a statement that officers responded to Nebraska Avenue, Tampa, after 11 a.m. yesterday after a report of a large branch collapsing.
"Upon arrival, officers located an adult female in her early 70s underneath the branch. The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene," the statement said.
The statement added that according to preliminary investigations, the unidentified woman died while "post-hurricane restoration efforts were being done on the property," adding that the death appeared to be accidental.
“Although the storm has passed, its devastation has tragically taken the life of one of our community members," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. "Our thoughts are with the family as they grieve their loved one."
Record rainfall brings historic floods to Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay may have dodged the worst-case scenario when the path of Hurricane Milton swerved away from it and instead slammed into Sarasota County near Siesta Key.
But the historic levels rainfall — 12 inches in Tampa, more than five times the normal level for all of October, and up to 18 inches in St. Pete — is causing huge problems, including areas that weren't in the evacuation zones.
"We’re talking a foot and a half of rainfall, and now that is what is leading to those lower-lying areas where you hear people say, 'Well we don’t normally flood. We’re not in an evacuation zone,'" Max Defender 8 Meteorologist Amanda Holly with NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa said.
"Well, when you get 18 inches of rain over a big area, yeah, you will see abnormally high water levels get into areas that don’t normally flood."
It is already the wettest year on record for Tampa, Holly added.