At least 12 people have died since Wednesday in Florida as a result of the powerful hurricane Milton, which made landfall in the night in Siesta Key, Tampa, with winds of over 100 miles per hour.
Of the confirmed deaths, six occurred in St. Lucie County, on Florida's Atlantic coast, which was shaken by several tornadoes before and during the passage of the weather event, NBC News reported.
Authorities warned that the number of victims could increase as the flooded areas are cleared and the search for the missing progresses.
In addition to flooding, Milton left a large amount of destruction caused not only by its winds but also by the 19 confirmed tornadoes, nine of them in South Florida, that preceded the actual landfall of the phenomenon.
On the afternoon of this Thursday, members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office rescued a 14-year-old boy who survived the storm by floating on boards in a completely flooded neighborhood.
Additionally, around 11 million people were at risk of experiencing flash floods and river flooding, while a record number of tornadoes caused significant damage in several areas.
More than 3.4 million customers were left without electricity in Florida, especially in Tampa, around 11:50 a.m. ET, according to data from poweroutage.us.
President Joe Biden announced that he had deployed thousands of federal personnel to assist areas affected by the hurricane, including over 1,000 members of the Coast Guard.
The week before last, more than 200 people lost their lives during the passage of another devastating hurricane, Hélene.
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