Milton has reached the United States.
Many are fleeing their homes – a few have lost their lives.
– There is no doubt that it will involve enormous damage, says TV4’s broadcaster Tomas Kvarnkullen.
Hurricane Milton has moved in over Florida with winds of around 50 meters per second. At least as feared are the meter-high masses of water that the hurricane is feared to bring with it over land.
People are advised to seek shelter immediately.
Households and businesses are without electricity and on Thursday morning, Swedish time, there are reports of injuries and several fatalities on Florida’s Atlantic coast. In St. Lucie County has a tornado spawned as the storm moved across the state.
– We have lost some lives, says Keith Pearson at St. Lucie County police to ABC News.
It is currently unclear how many have died in the storm.
“Huge damage”
TV4 Nyheternas USA correspondent Tomas Kvarnkullen reports from Portland, Oregon.
– There is no doubt that there will be enormous damage after Milton, but with this storm happening right now, it is difficult to know exactly how extensive the damage will be. We have been told of 125 homes destroyed. There will most certainly be significantly more than that.
– There are several places that also have huge bodies of water right now, and the figure for the number without power is adjusted upwards all the time. The last figure I saw was two million.
Evacuations – but not for everyone
Caravans of cars have left Florida in the past 24 hours, but there are also those who choose to stay – despite the enormous danger.
– This is usually the case in connection with such extensive storms in Florida. People stay in their homes for various reasons, those who have animals they don’t want to abandon or in some cases those who want to experience being in the middle of the storm, says Tomas Kvarnkullen.
Although the situation remains serious, many are breathing a sigh of relief that the worst of the storm does not appear to hit directly the densely populated metropolitan area around Tampa.
Wind strength has also decreased since Milton moved in over the southern United States. Milton is now classified as a Category 2 hurricane on the five-point scale.