Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on Florida, killing at least four individuals, one of whom was in a mobile home neighbourhood.
Officials from St Lucie County, on the east coast, claimed the deaths were caused by at least two tornadoes that struck the area before Milton arrived late Wednesday.
According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, more than three million homes and businesses in the state have lost power as a result of the hurricane, and buildings such as a prominent baseball stadium have been destroyed.
Some locations on the west coast received 18 inches (45 centimetres) of rain. DeSantis warned flooding was still possible in the coming days.
Nonetheless, DeSantis stated that what happened in Florida was “not the worst-case scenario”.
He stated that approximately 80,000 people stayed in shelters overnight. Prior to the hurricane’s arrival, warnings were issued that the Tampa Bay area on the west coast might see record storm surges of 10-15 feet (3-4.5 meters).
In her own briefing on Thursday morning, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor expressed relief that her city had not experienced the expected storm surge.
Surges remained several feet high elsewhere in the state, indicating that hurricane-force winds had forced a wall of ocean onshore.
Castor mentioned that the situation was “not over” in her densely populated city. “When high tide comes in, rivers are going to flood all over Hillsborough County, not just in the city of Tampa,” Jane Castor said.
Castor and other officials have spent days pushing everyone in Milton’s way to abandon their homes or face death.
Evacuations were ordered up and down the west coast, with forecasters predicting once-in-a-1,000-year rainfall in some locations.
Milton eventually made landfall as a category three hurricane on Wednesday evening local time, with winds of 124 mph (200 kph). It had previously been classified as a category five hurricane, the most powerful type of storm.
It was preceded by many tornadoes, which can occasionally accompany a hurricane.
Twelve of these ripped across St Lucie County, police reported a CBS-affiliated news station.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen,” a sheriff remarked.
