‘Door flew off’ – Florida reels after hurricane devastation

BBC:

Crystal Coleman sits outside the remnants of her home in St Lucie County, Florida, and wonders where she and her daughter will spend the night.

One of at least a dozen tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton tore through this low-income community in south Florida, killing at least five residents. At least 16 people are known to have died across the US state.

Crystal is happy to be alive but at a loss over what to do next.

“All of a sudden the door to my attic flew off, all the objects in my house started flying around,” Ms Coleman told BBC News on Thursday.

“It was devastating, we were very scared. It felt like the tornado was inside of our house.”

Her neighbourhood is one of many across the state that were devastated by Milton as it barrelled across the state, leaving widespread damage and millions without power.

The tornadoes spawned as Milton approached the state Wednesday evening, an occurrence that forecasters say sometimes follows tropical weather.

Parts of Crystal’s roof were torn off, and the windows blown out. Further up the street on Thursday, workers at a non-profit organisation were handing out hundreds of hot meals. The power is out and there’s no running water. People are grateful for a hot meal, a smile, and a helping hand.

Devastation litters the main road. A tractor trailer on its side. The canopy ripped off a petrol station. Trees uprooted. Some residents say they’ve contacted the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) for help, but for now, they’re most worried about shelter and food for their families tonight.

Milton’s devastating path is still being assessed by workers across the state, who caution the death toll is likely to continue rising in the coming days.

The storm brought heavy rains of up to 18in (45cm) in some areas. Neighbourhoods and roads remain flooded, businesses, homes and stadiums were torn apart by the winds – but Florida Gov Ron DeSantis said the state did not experience “the worst-case scenario”.

Many evacuated, including some 80,000 people who stayed in shelters overnight, he said.

“My sense is that a lot of the people did leave who were in the evacuation zones,” DeSantis said.

Nevertheless, crews still deployed for hundreds of rescues across the state in large vehicles, boats and helicopters. That includes more than 400 people alone who were rescued from a severely flooded apartment complex in Pinellas County and a US Coast Guard rescue of a ship captain who ended up in the water clinging to a floating cooler 30 miles (48km) from shore.