Tampa’s power outage leaves more than a million residents in limbo as Hurricane Milton knocks out power lines

More than a million Floridians are without power as shocking footage shows a tornado tearing through a Florida neighborhood and destroying power lines.

The outages are concentrated in Sarasota and Manatee County USAToday facts.

The gruesome footage, posted to Instagram by Abc7ny, shows a Hurricane Milton-related tornado ripping through the sky in Wellington, Florida.

Power lines burst brightly as the tornado tore them apart. Cars in the video sped away from the unexpected sparks.

TECO Energy, which provides electricity to west-central Florida, is urging residents to stay away from fallen power lines and out of floodwaters because they conceal power lines.

People should disconnect non-essential electrical equipment to protect themselves from dangerous power surges.

When using portable generators, TECO said to plug appliances directly into them and not connect the generators to a home’s circuits.

Generators should be left outside because they can cause the formation of carbon monoxide gases.

Another company, Duke Energy Florida, emphasized the importance of electrical safety in these dangerous times.

“Despite extensive system improvements and rigorous tree pruning, high winds and flooding will cause power outages. Customers should expect significant damage and prepare immediately for extended power outages,” Todd Fountain, storm director for Duke Energy Florida, said in a statement.

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm.

The rating only reflects the speed of Milton’s gusts, as forecasters warned the storm will be one of the worst in recent history when hurricane force winds hit the coast later today.

Sparks fly as a tornado hits power lines in Wellington, Florida

Florida residents have already been hit by heavy rainfall and a powerful tornado outbreak that triggered at least 90 tornado warnings across the state on Wednesday.

Onshore winds were already exceeding 120 miles per hour, several inches of rain fell and a “catastrophic” flooding situation was developing in Tampa Bay.

Tornadoes touched down in the Everglades and Fort Myers. Forecasters warn more could appear in central and southern Florida.

The greatest danger is the wall of water, known as a storm surge, that Milton will throw up. The storm surge was initially feared to be fifteen feet tall, but forecasters now believe the storm surge will still be a record high of 40 feet.

A tornado rips through Florida power lines as Hurricane Milton makes landfall in a Category 3 storm

NOAA posted terrifying drone camera footage of massive 28-foot waves caused by Hurricane Milton.

The waves are about 8.5 meters long – longer than a London bus and four times as high as André the Giant – and have gusts of just over 120 kilometers per hour.

The video is part of a program with drone makers Saildrone, in an “effort to better understand and predict devastating events like Hurricane Milton.”

Emergency measures have been rolled out across the state as people have been advised to evacuate.

According to the governor’s website, the Florida Department of Health has deployed more than 200 emergency response vehicles.

Florida residents were advised to flee before the storm made landfall

Wind speeds of up to 125 mph have been reported in Florida

Florida residents who refused to leave their homes were advised to write their names on their legs so authorities could identify their bodies.

Millions of people across Florida are in a desperate race against time to evacuate before the ‘storm of the century’ slams into Tampa late tonight, with officials warning that those who choose to stay put and flee Hurricane Milton will be left stranded. are left.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor urged locals to evacuate before the 15-foot storm surge hitting her city floods entire properties. She has repeatedly warned those who refuse to leave that they could die in their homes.