Horrifying footage reveals Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, wrecking havoc on buildings and the surroundings on the west coast of the state.
US residents and tourists in the Sunshine State were advised to take precautions ahead of the potential category five hurricane as it approached, with many stocking up on food, water and other essentials in preparation.
Category five on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale means that ‘catastrophic damage will occur’ to the affected area, with winds set to exceed 157 mph or higher.
Homes are expected to be destroyed while power outages could last weeks, which would make some areas uninhabitable, according to the National Weather Service.
Hurricane Milton hit Florida last night (9 October) and began wrecking havoc (Getty Stock Photo)
The Mayor of Tampa Bay, Jane Castor, urged residents to evacuate, or ‘you are going to die’.
Some holidaymakers have been left stranded in the midst of it all, while the cyclone began to take shape in an apocalyptic-type way when seen from space.
It was predicted to be one of the worst storms in the region in over 100 years, with President Joe Biden warned it could be the ‘storm of the century’.
Luckily, the hurricane was downgraded to a category three storm as it reached landfall, though this still meant that Florida was hit with winds of more than 100 mph, creating numerous tornadoes around the area.
Reaching the shore at 8.30pm local time last night (9 October) near Siesta Key, it meant that Tampa Bay avoided a direct hit, despite initial worries.
Over two million homes and businesses suffered power outages, with Sarasota County, Manatee County, and Pinella County the hardest hit.
125 homes were destroyed before Milton even made landfall, according to the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie.
The damage it has caused overnight has been brutal, with videos capturing how terrifying it is for those in the area.
It is said that several tornadoes formed off the back of the hurricane, with deaths from the storm reported in St Lucie county, in the southeast of Florida.
At least two people were confirmed to be killed by a tornado in the county, according to the NBC, while a spokesperson for the St Lucie Fire District confirmed the deaths and also revealed that several others were taken to hospital.
Milton has been one of the fastest intensifying Atlantic storms in history, growing from 60 mph winds on Sunday to 175 mph winds on Monday, before being downgraded to category four, and last night, three.
The storm clouds look like something out of a dystopian film (meca876876/TikTok)
Flash floods have been reported in areas all over the state as well, as heavy rainfall continues to pour this morning (10 October).
A ‘scared’ Brit that has been trapped in Florida with the impending landfall of Hurricane Milton expected this evening (9 October) has exclusively shared what precautions she has had to take for tonight.
Kathryn Bateman, better known as @scouseblu on social media, has been posting videos, updating followers on her experience in the Sunshine State as the category five storm roars her way.
Taking primarily to TikTok to reveal the desperation around her in Orlando, videos show just how desperate Americans and tourists were, stocking up on food items, water and toilet paper – flashbacks to the pandemic, anyone?
Bateman previously explained that she and her partner had to visit multiple stores in their search for water and things such as torches, of which there were only two left when she got to Home Depot, which she described as ‘absolutely manic’.
She noticed locals buying wood in bulk to protect their doors and windows before returning to their holiday home, where a letter from the hotel told them they were left to their own devices, as she summarised: “The hotel basically said keep the patio furniture inside, you’re self-catering, you’re on you’re own.”
While other hotels were giving guests free water and toilet paper, she said it was ‘shocking’ that her family were given next to no assistance.
But since these updates, she revealed to LADbible that she has been given some advice ahead of tonight.
The Brit has revealed what officials have told her to do ahead of tonight (Kathryn Bateman)
Bateman, originally from Liverpool, went to Orlando for a holiday and hopes to ‘return safely’ on 15 October, after the cyclone is past.
She revealed: “In all honesty, we have been told from local officials to stock up on supplies, stay away from windows, and to not go outside during Wednesday and Thursday evening.”
Mentioning the letter from the hotel again, she said they were left ‘upset’ by their lack of help, though added that officials told them to have a ‘bag ready in case’ they need to ‘evacuate’ to a nearby shelter for protection.
“(We’ve) charged all our power banks in case the power cuts out and we have filled baths up,” she shared, also adding that her, alongside her partner and family, are checking daily updates for flights so that they can leave as soon as it is safe.
Bateman and her family are waiting for their first chance to head home (Kathryn Bateman)
Bateman then admitted: “We feel scared, as we never have experienced this before. We tried to get flights home, but they said there was none available.
“The priority was families with small children, which we fully understand, they are a priority. Our vacation rep said we have to stock up and stay in.
“We all pray for everyone who will be effect severely by Milton.”
This week, the Foreign Office warned UK citizens across the pond to follow instructions and orders surrounding evacuation, as Milton has been described as ‘life-threatening,’ with high winds and a heavy rainfall forecast.
Airports in Tampa and Orlando have also temporarily ceased operations to and from the UK, leaving numerous holidaymakers stuck in the thick of it all, waiting for updates from airlines.
A man in the Sunshine State known as ‘Lieutenant Dan’ has given his reasoning behind staying on his boat instead of seeking shelter, ahead of the impending landfall of Hurricane Milton later today (9 October).
An initial video of the Florida man, who seems set on staying on his modest boat, went viral with millions of views after he claimed that the boat would ‘float’, even if flooding rose to the predicted level of 15 feet (4.5 metres).
TikToker @terrenceconcannon has been documenting the man’s journey, who has nicknamed Lieutenant Dan as he lost his leg when he was younger, similar to the Forrest Gump character of the same name.
Thousands of Florida residents have been urged to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Hurricane Milton will hit the west coast of Florida, US, this evening, particularly hitting the city of Tampa Bay hard, which is where Lieutenant Dan (real name Joe) is located on his relatively small boat.
The cyclone has been classed as a category five storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, meaning that winds can reach 157 mph or higher, while homes are set to be destroyed with power outages affecting the area for weeks or month, according to the National Weather Service.
Social media user Terrence has made several videos with Lieutenant Dan – the first being last month when the state was hit by Hurricane Helene – asking him several times if he can put him in a hotel or if he can evacuate, as this is what the state and authorities advised. But the sailor has stood firm.
He even joked that ‘the only thing’ he’d give the boat up for is a female companion.
Terrence asked Dan to explain why he wants to live through the most devastating Florida hurricane in over 100 years on a ’20ft sailboat’, to which he replied: “God told me to come out here and get a boat. I came out here and got a boat.”
“And everything that he’s been telling me over the last two days is I’m doing the right thing,” he claimed, comparative to the story of Noah’s Ark.
“He’s got my back. I’m in good shape, I ain’t sweating it. We’re gonna ride this one out.”
He said that ‘we know what we’re doing’ with the storm, ‘as long as the water keeps rising’.
When asked if he would be wearing a life jacket, Dan stated: “Hell no,” before adding that he will be able to swim ‘in circles’ if need be, due to his sole leg.
He claimed that God told him to head to sea (TikTok/@terrenceconcannon)
Dan went on to explain that the water will rise when it comes in, lifting the boat, while those on land are actually at risk of drowning, even if the boat goes ‘100 feet in the air’.
“So it’s really the safest place in the world to be is on my boat, and I got room for one more female,” he joked.
Views of the hurricane both on the ground and in space have been chilling, revealing the sheer scale of the disaster headed for the southeastern state.
Mayor of Tampa Bay Jane Castor also warned residents on Monday (7 October), saying: “This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time.”
She then chillingly told residents that if they don’t evacuate, ‘you are going to die’.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@terrenceconcannon
Topics: TikTok, Viral, Weather, US News
Joshua Nair
Terrifying simulation shows just how deep Hurricane Milton flood water could get
Hurricane Milton is set to devastate Florida, having been described as one of the worst hurricanes in 100 years
Hurricane Milton is set to devastate the United States, with the monstrous Category 5 storm set to bring surging walls of water across large swathes of the Florida coastline, as well as Georgia and South Carolina.
And with millions of residents across the state urged to leave their homes or risk losing their lives, simulations of just how shocking the flood water will be have been published across weather and news networks in the USA.
The Weather Channel is among these, publishing a clip with presenter Stephanie Abrams using FloodFX simulation technology to show exactly why you should be listening to the official advice and not staying put.
Florida is set to be hit hard (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It is after some residents have insisted they will stay in their homes despite being ordered to evacuate. Officials have warned that those staying behind will face incredibly low odds of surviving.
The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faces the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
The US National Hurricane Centre predicted Milton would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late on Wednesday (9 October).
Milton was centred early on Wednesday about 360 miles south-west of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160mph, the National Hurricane Centre reported.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said that up to 15 feet of storm surge water forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house, meaning you’re not safe even if you think you can outlast it on the first floor or attic levels.
Floridians leaving the state ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Residents are doing their best to secure their homes ahead of the hurricane’s arrival (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Setting up in The Weather Channel studio, Abrams is surrounded by flooding simulation graphics to showcase just why people should be evacuating and not staying put if flooding is expected in their path.
Showing what the flooding looks like at three, six and nine feet tall, it’s a harrowing look at why millions have been ordered to leave their homes.
“Let’s focus in on the Tampa Bay area where we could see a record setting surge over nine feet,” Abrams tells The Weather Channel viewers.
This is what nine feet of floodwater looks like (Weather Channel)
“We can use this simulation to show you what it will look like in Tampa. At three feet above dry ground, water is already life threatening. It is too late to evacuate. Water this high can knock you off your feet, make cars float and make driving impossible.
“The first floor of homes and businesses are flooded. Unfortunately the water is expected to rise even higher to six feet, above the height of most people. Vehicles get carried away, structures start to fail, just look at this.
“Anything could be in this water – sharp glass, debris, chemicals. Some areas could then see surge values at 10 to 15 feet.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to bring a destructive storm surge to Florida’s west coast. @StephanieAbrams uses our FloodFX simulation technology to show you what that could look like ⬇️
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Abrams continues: “This takes us up to nine feet and look what it does. At this level, the first floor of structures are completely flooded and there are few places where it is safe when water rises this high.
“We want everyone to know their evacuation zone, listen to local officials, and evacuate when ordered to do so.
“This is not just a calm water, you’ll going to have waves and even white caps on the water inland.”
Featured Image Credit: The Weather Channel / NOAA / NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Topics: Weather, US News, Environment
Tom Earnshaw
Terrifying footage shows NASA astronaut recording what hurricane looks like from space
An astronaut onboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour shared time-lapse footage of the horrifying storm
An astronaut has shared chilling footage of what a hurricane really looks like from outer space.
Hurricane Milton is set to hit the coast of Florida, US, after it was revealed last night that it has become a category five hurricane once again.
On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, this means that ‘catastrophic damage will occur’ to the area, with winds reaching 157 mph or higher. Many homes are likely set to be destroyed and power outages are expected to last weeks to months, rendering the area uninhabitable for the near future, according to the National Weather Service.
Evacuations are taking place in Florida as Hurricane Milton hits (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Mayor of Tampa Bay, a city located on the west coast of Florida, addressed the severity of the situation as she spoke during a news conference on Monday (7 October) .
Mayor Jane Castor explained: “This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time.”
She then chillingly told residents that if they don’t evacuate, ‘you are going to die’.
It’s set to be the worst storm to hit the region in over a century, as some holidaymakers have been trapped in the Sunshine State, scavenging for essentials while waiting for the cyclone to hit.
There are some people who are also observing the storm take shape, except they’re 250 miles above our heads.
Astronauts within the International Space Station have been forced to watch the hurricane form from above in space, as Matthew Dominick – a US Navy test pilot and pilot for NASA – shared harrowing footage of the impending natural disaster captured from SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour, which is attached to the ISS.
The footage shows the ISS passing over the colossal hurricane at around 17,500mph, the station’s average speed, which allows it to orbit the Earth once every 90 minutes.
The hurricane’s huge white appearance makes it look like something out of a dystopian film, as it makes its way towards the main land, slated for landfall on the state’s Central Gulf coast tonight (9 October).
The footage captured was a time lapse though, as the astronaut wrote in his post: “Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
The hurricane’s size and path can be tracked in the video (X/@dominickmatthew)
“1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps.”
Social media users shared what they thought of the chilling footage in the comments, as one wrote: “This is like something out of The Day After Tomorrow,” referencing the 2004 sci-fi dystopian flick.
Another pointed out: “Looks so calm from a distance.”
A third said: “My God.. awe inspiring and frightening at the same time.”
