Forecasters have warned that the threat of dangerous flooding will remain in place for days or even weeks

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President Joe Biden is visiting Florida today to tour communities impacted by Hurricane Milton.

During the visit, the president is expected to announce more than $600m in funding for projects for electric grid resilience, to help the state become better equipped to deal with future storms.

With the storm also impacting fuel delivery, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state is also offering free gasoline at state fuel depots.

So far, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.

Six people in St Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes brought on by the hurricane after a dozen twisters spawned in the region within 20 minutes.

While Floridians return home to survey the damage to their communities, officials are warning that major flooding could still hit north of Tampa.

As of Sunday morning, more than 900,000 homes were still without power in Florida, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. Damage from the storm is estimated to have cost upwards of $160bn.

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900k still without power in Florida

Four days after Milton smashed into Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, more than 900,000 homes are still in the dark.

As of around 11am ET Sunday morning, 944,000 customers were without power in the Sunshine State, according to Poweroutage.us.

In hard-hit Pinellas County, around half were still in the midst of a power outage (281,000 out of 567,000 customers).

Rachel Sharp13 October 2024 15:30

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Biden is visiting Florida today to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Milton

President Joe Biden is visiting Florida today to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Milton.

The president will make a first stop in hard-hit Tampa, before taking an aerial tour of affected areas en route to St. Petersburg, Florida.

After, the White House said Biden will receive an operational briefing with federal, state, and local officials, in St. Pete Beach before meeting with first responders and local residents.

Biden will then deliver remarks where he is expected to announce more than $600m in funding for projects for electric grid resilience, to help the state be better equipped to deal with future storms.

Rachel Sharp13 October 2024 14:35

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A very different view of Milton — from space

Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, astronauts board the International Space Station got a view of it from space.

Here’s a time lapse from NASA’s Matthew Dominick.

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 14:00

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Back-to-back storms leaves Siesta Key resident with ‘PTSD'

A Tennessee couple who relocated to Florida’s Siesta Key during the pandemic says since 2020 they’ve had to endure constant flooding since.

Lance and Nichol Fountaine told USA Today their home has flooded six times in 14 months, most recently with Hurricane Milton.

“I’m done,” Nichol said. “I love it, I’ll visit it but I don’t want to live it anymore.”

“We can’t keep throwing money into it and expecting different results,” she added, calling it the “definition of insanity.”

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 12:30

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Florida hotels slammed as evacuees yield to repair workers

Hotels across Florida are reportedly near capacity, as repair crews and relief workers flood the state after Hurricane Milton.

“We’ve seen workers from Alabama, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and even the Orlando area,” one hotel general manager told the Pensacola News Journal. “They started coming in Tuesday night and we’re sold out of rooms until Oct. 19.”

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 11:00

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Pictures show damage on key near where Milton made landfall

Residents were permitted on Saturday to return to eastern Florida’s Manasota Key, a barrier island not far from where Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday.

Here are some of the scenes that greeted them, courtesy of WINK News.

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 09:33

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How one organization is helping out in Florida: Free BBQ

A Missouri-based nonprofit is sprining into action in Florida to distribute free barbecue meals in the city of St. Petersburg.

Operation BBQ Reflief handed out box after box of BBQ pork meals to the hard-hit city on Florida’s eastern coast.

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 07:59

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Trump threatens to withhold disaster aid during California rally

Florida’s back-to-back hurricanes are a reminder of the kind of threat extreme weather poses to the U.S., one that likely only get worse due to the climate crisis.

At a recent rally in California, Donald Trump suggested disaster aid might be conditional on a state’s politics.

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 07:15

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More than 1,000 rescued in aftermath of Milton

More than 1,000 people have been rescued in Florida as of Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, according to governor Ron DeSantis.

“Fortunately we never had the 15- to 20- feet storm surge, but still, rising waters, very dangerous, and these guys have sprung into action,” the governor said at a public briefing.

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 06:33

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Election officials warn that hurricanes could disrupt 2024 ballots

A pair of disastrous hurricanes could upend the upcoming 2024 election, according to officials in North Carolina and Florida.

“I speak for my colleagues around the state: It’s a rather simple formula – it’s hunker down, survive, and then we have to assess where we are with damages and make it work,” Brian Corley, the supervisor of elections in Florida’s Pasco County, told CNN.

“I’ve got precincts that are completely gone, that are completely washed away,” Mary Beth Tipton, the director of the board of elections in North Carolina’s Yancey County, added. “We’ve actually got a post office that’s washed away.”

Josh Marcus13 October 2024 05:45

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