Joe Biden, US president has said that experts estimate that Hurricane Milton caused a staggering $50bn in damage.
At least 16 people have been killed by the storm and recovery efforts continue, meaning the numbers could rise.
Biden is expected to travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas where the huge storm roared across the state after making landfall late on Wednesday. Authorities were urgently assessing the aftermath of the deadly storm, which spawned tornadoes before slamming into central Florida and then tearing about 175 miles (280km) across land, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, killing people, destroying homes and blocking streets with downed power lines, fallen trees and debris.
Millions of people in central Florida were still reeling on Friday even though the worst fears about this monster storm were not realized and it entered and exited the state much faster than initially expected.
The hurricane made landfall less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit north-west Florida and stayed over land as a tropical storm, with an unexpectedly high death toll of 230 people, the highest since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, and brought damage from flooding and high winds to 10 states.
Milton’s powerful and destructive weather system, which produced dozens of tornadoes in Florida on Wednesday, wrecked an estimated 150 homes, knocked out power to more than 3.3 million people, swept over barrier islands with 6ft of storm surge, ripped the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a 500ft construction crane.
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About 2 million residents were still without power on Friday afternoon.
A 14-year-old boy was rescued after being found floating on a piece of fence and a coast guard helicopter crew rescued a man floating on an ice chest separated from his boat in the Gulf of Mexico – “a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner”, according to rescuers.
But Milton, which wobbled 70 miles south from where it was expected to make landfall, did not deliver the scale of destruction that authorities feared. Mass evacuations undoubtedly lowered the death toll after Milton whipped up into a category 5 hurricane as it swiped Mexico, slowed a little, accelerated again as it crossed the Gulf and finally hit Florida as a category 3.
Tampa was spared a direct hit, and a feared 15ft storm surge never materialized, as it came ashore at Siesta Key, a barrier island sheltering southern Sarasota from the Gulf of Mexico and normally known for its beautiful sandy beaches and sparkling waters.
The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota county, where it reached 8-10ft – lower than in the worst place during Helene. But the 18in of rain that fell in some areas is still causing flooding. Causeway bridges and airports have reopened and people are returning to see what is left of their homes. Some are sound, some destroyed, some filled with sand from the sea surge.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
