Search and rescue efforts continue after tornadoes popped up as Hurricane Milton was preparing to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed five people died in St. Lucie County — noting the hurricane spawned at least 19 twisters and as many as 116 tornado warnings across the state.
"We're grateful for the first responders who staged in the area and were ready to save lives. So far, at least 25 people have been rescued from this tornado-damaged area," DeSantis said in a statement.
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According to Scripps News West Palm Beach, officials said there were "well over 100 homes" throughout the county that have been lost due to the severe weather outbreak. Video posted on St. Lucie County's official Facebook page Thursday showed what appeared to be a tornado ripping through a parking lot a day earlier.
Scripps News was on the ground in St. Lucie County Thursday surveying the aftermath of the storm. Vehicles could be seen flipped on their sides, trees uprooted, utility poles snapped in half, and heavy machinery was being used to clear debris and make roads passable again.
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As of Thursday night, more than 2.5 million customers in Florida were still without power, according to poweroutage.us. DeSantis said he mobilized some 50,000 linemen to restore power across the state, but added that the storm did not produce the worst-case scenario despite causing extensive damage.
"First responders have been working all through the night to help people who were in distress," DeSantis said. "And what we can say is the storm was significant but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge as initially reported has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene."
