Parts of Florida were scrambling to clean up the debris from Hurricane Helene that slammed the state just two weeks ago, leaving them with not enough time to prepare for Milton.

As fierce storms become more frequent, some mayors say people have heeded their calls to evacuate and prepare for the worst.

Here’s what they told CNN:

Fort Myers: At least two tornadoes touched down in Fort Myers, with one taking down pool furniture and streetlights and another ripping the covering off of gas pumps, said Mayor Kevin Anderson.

“The good thing about this storm is that our downtown businesses prepared for it. They didn’t prepare for Helene or Ian but this time they did,” he said.

Even though people are “getting used” to the storms, Anderson said he was concerned about the debris from the tornadoes and damage from winds.

“Right now, we are just waiting for the storm to pass, so they can get out of there to start clearing the roads and … start handling the services,” Anderson said.

Gulfport: Milton has brought the most significant winds Mayor Sam Henderson has seen in Florida.

There’s a been a real difference from storm to storm, the mayor said. He said Helene had damaging storm surges while Milton brought in incredible wind and rains.

“But the worst of it has passed us by, the winds are subsiding but we are still getting substantial gusts, but we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Henderson said.

Henderson added that residents did heed calls to evacuate, saying consecutive storms have been “a real wake-up call for a lot of people.”

Hurricane Milton dropped thousand-year rainfall and unleashed life-threatening storm surge with destructive winds across a large stretch of Florida after making landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, Wednesday night.

The hurricane, which came ashore as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph sustained winds, weakened to a Category 1 as it moved over land. But even as it weakens, it continues to be a dangerous storm.

President Joe Biden was briefed after Milton made landfall earlier Wednesday night, according to a statement from the White House.

Here’s what to know:

More than 2 million people without power: Power outages have soared across Florida as Hurricane Milton charges inland — doubling to 2 million homes and businesses without power in about 3 hours, according to PowerOutage.us. Near Siesta Key, where the storm made landfall, some counties are reporting more than 70% of energy customers without power.

Fierce wind gusts over 100 mph: Dangerous wind gusts were observed Wednesday in multiple locations around the Tampa area and west-central Florida region where Hurricane Milton made landfall. Peak wind gusts recorded so far include 107 mph in Venice and 105 mph at Egmont Channel at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

Tornado leaves multiple dead: Deaths were reported in St. Lucie County, Florida, after a tornado tore through a mobile home retirement community, the county sheriff told CNN, though he declined to provide an exact number. “We are not going to get into how many, but I can tell you it’s more than one person who has lost their life,” Sheriff Keith Pearson said. Hundreds of homes in the county were “completely totaled” by tornadoes, he added.

A path of destruction: The true scale of Milton’s destruction will come to light when the sun rises Thursday morning, but CNN crews and local officials are already reporting flooded roads, flying debris and significant home damage. In St. Petersburg, winds shredded the roof of the MLB stadium Tropicana Field and collapsed a tower crane into a building. And in Tampa overnight, life-threatening flash flooding inundated roads while transformer explosions lit up the sky.

St. Petersburg seeing 1-in-1,000 year rainfall: More than 16 inches of rain fell in St. Petersburg in only three hours — more than three months of the average rainfall for the city — as Hurricane Milton’s heaviest rain band parked itself over the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday evening.

Milton is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year: A record-tying three hurricanes have slammed into Florida this year: Francine, Helene and now Milton. This has only happened in five other hurricane seasons since 1871 — more than 150 years of history.

What to expect next: Milton will retain its hurricane strength as it tracks across central Florida through Thursday morning. Cities like Lakeland, Kissimmee, Orlando and Cape Canaveral are all in the forecasted path.

You can track Milton here.