Milton forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction.
At least 16 people have died from Hurricane Milton, which roared onshore on Florida's west coast as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing tornadoes, powerful winds and flooding rains. The monster storm forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction across Florida.
The massive Category 3 storm is expected to make landfall within the next hour and is bringing life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds on the way.
There have been at least 30 reported tornadoes across Florida.
Sarasota is forecast to have nine to 13 feet of storm surge, Tampa could face six to nine feet and Fort Myers is predicted to face eight to 12 feet of storm surge.
Hurricane Milton is quickly approaching landfall along the coast of west-central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
An estimated 125 homes have been destroyed amid a "life-threatening" tornado outbreak ahead of Milton's landfall, according to Kevin Guthrie, the head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Florida's east coast has had "a lot of tornadic activity" that has resulted in structural damage, he said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.
Based on preliminary information, about 125 homes have been destroyed, "most of them mobile homes and senior communities," he said.
"So we're trying to get into Florida's most vulnerable to make sure they're taken care of," he added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there have been 116 tornado warnings issued on Wednesday, with 19 confirmed touchdowns.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents who haven't evacuated to stay inside as conditions deteriorate and the northern eyewall of Hurricane Milton is beginning to move onshore.
"At this point, it's too dangerous to evacuate safely," DeSantis said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.
"The storm is here, it's time for everybody to hunker down," he added.
DeSantis detailed the state's emergency response, including search and rescue personnel ready to go.
"We hope that there's not a big need for that, but we're prepared for that," he said.
The state has inspectors ready to clear bridges once the storm passes and "massive amounts of fuel reserves" ready to go once people are able to return to their homes, the governor said.
