vvjl Friday Briefing: Florida Hurricane Kills at Least 7

ImageResidents of an apartment complex in Clearwater, Fla., were rescued from floodwaters. Credit...Zack Wittman for The New York TimesFlorida hurricane killed at least 7

Search-and-rescue efforts were underway in Florida yesterday after Hurricane Milton spawned powerful tornadoes and low-lying coastal neighborhoods were swallowed by flooding.

Officials say at least five people were killed in tornadoes and two others died when trees fell on their homes. The death toll is expected to rise. More than three million customers were without power. Here’s the latest.

Milton largely spared the Tampa Bay region from the high storm surge that local officials had feared, Patricia Mazzei, who was reporting from the area, told us.

ImageThe hurricane tore through the roof of Tropicana Field, the home of Tampa’s baseball team, in St. Petersburg, Fla.Credit...Dillon Deaton for The New York Times

“In many places, the storm surge was actually worse during Hurricane Helene two weeks ago,” she said, adding: “Some people along the Gulf Coast are pretty relieved. But the ones facing a second or third flood inside their homes are exhausted.”

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Efforts to get people to follow evacuation orders and warnings appear to have worked. “This is going to be a long haul for total rebuilding,” President Biden said at the White House. “It’s going to take several billion dollars. It’s not just going to be a little bit.”

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