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Storm surge warnings out after Hurricane Milton bludgeons Florida with 120 mph winds

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WND 
Aftermath of Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida’s west coast with 120 mph winds overnight, dropped a foot of rain, spawned dozens of tornadoes and left multiple victims dead, has moved offshore and was downgraded to a Category 1 storm.

But threats remained.

Milton, which had been churning through winds of 175 mph before hitting land, eased as it came ashore near Siesta Key, Florida, but in just St. Lucie County alone, the sheriff confirmed at least 17 tornadoes.

Some three million were without power.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez said in a television interview on Fox that emergency orders had been issued for 51 of the state’s 67 counties, and Thursday revealed “devastation and damage” despite all of the preparations.

“Hurricane Milton indeed packs a punch, but Florida is ready under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis. And we’re going to continue to help people rebuild.”

The governor himself said damage assessments were under way.

He noted it was not “the worst-case scenario” that many had feared.

Video of the coastline revealed beachfront buildings blown down and deep water remaining a concern, as the storm surge continued to inhibit travel.

Robert Carruthers, a major general in the Florida National Guard, told FOX some 10,000 Florida National Guard members had been activated with another 3,000 from other states.

The storm hit just two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit shore in Florida but unleashed most of its fury further inland, with portions of North Carolina in the bull’s-eye. More than 200 deaths were reported from Helene, and hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

Joe Biden confirmed he’s been in touch with Florida officials several times, and the state was working to provide the best protection – and recovery – assistance it could.

Plant City spokesman Bill McDaniel told Fox Milton inflicted serious damage, with flooding causing problems.

“We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community my entire life,” he said on social media.

There, 35 were rescued from flooded buildings and trees and power lines were flattened, making it unsafe to travel.

He explained, “I mentioned in the previous broadcast about a vehicle crash that we had heard. That was actually a case of someone driving around out there on our streets and they hit a downed power line at relatively high speed, and it actually sliced into the engine compartment of the vehicle. That’s a good indication of why it’s very dangerous to get out there and move around right now.”

The Tampa airport remained closed, as did Orlando’s and ocean ports were shuttered, but expected to reopen shortly.

School closures varied.

Most of the power outages that remained were in Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

DeSantis expressed gratitude for small favors, including that Milton “weakened” before hitting the state.

The immediate reports were putting the fatality count in the single digits.

Milton had been rated as a Category 5 for a time before landfall. It did maintain enough strength to seriously damage Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bayi Rays baseball team.