The Ponce De Leon Hotel sign fell to the ground after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in St Petersburg. (Lauren Peace/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
FLORIDA — Hurricane Milton has already spun off into the Atlantic Ocean, but not before ravaging much of Florida with heavy rain, ferocious winds and several tornados. The storm has compounded the already hard hit state that is still reeling after the devastation from Helene only two weeks ago.
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Recovery efforts will take months, as the 85 mph winds kicked up debris from Hurricane Helene and created new damage in its wake. The winds were strong enough to pull up the roof fabric of Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay has not seen such a horrendous storm hit the area in over a hundred years.
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Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with coworkers, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Watts, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven convenient store in Cape Coral, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)An aerial view of Tropicana Field's shredded roof in downtown St. Petersburg. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)A car covered in tree limbs in the aftermath of the storm in St. Pete. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)Chris Nation, of Commerce, Ga., climbs a tree and gestures while hanging out with coworkers outside the hotel where they are riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Nation, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)A downed tree lies across a road after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in downtown Tampa. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)An uprooted tree outside a Family Dollar in St. Pete. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)Signs ripped off of a convenience store in St. Pete. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)Melvin Lee HIcks, who is homeless, wears a trash bag to protect against wind-driven rain, as he stands on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)The roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appears to be badly damaged. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)A group is silhouetted against a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)A shed's doors blown off the hinges after the storm. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)More downed trees and power lines littering the streets of St. Pete. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)Rain begins to fall ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton in Tampa. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The Segundo family, who evacuated from nearby Davis Island, plays a board game with their dog Cassie looking on, as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, at Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown hotel in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)A fence that was severely damaged by the storm. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)A car sits in high water in front of a home in the aftermath of hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
