(NewsNation) — Hurricane Milton, with estimated top wind speeds reaching 120 mph, made landfall as a Category 3 near Siesta Key, Florida, about 70 miles south of Tampa, on Wednesday evening, pounding the state with devastating rains and damaging winds.

By early Thursday morning, the storm was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, moving east-northeast toward Orlando. As of 2 a.m. ET, Milton was 30 miles south of Orlando.

The center of Milton will continue to move across central Florida, emerging off the east coast of the state around sunrise, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The National Weather Service also issued a rare flash flood emergency statement for the Tampa Bay area, including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

Before Milton made landfall, tornadoes touched down in St. Lucie County, destroying homes and leaving some residents dead. “We have lost some life,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News. He did not say how many were killed.

Officials are saying the time for evacuations has passed, and those who did not leave their homes need to shelter in place.

The hurricane threatens to deliver storm surges up to 13 feet on the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding.

Another look at the damage to Tropicana Field’s roof from Hurricane Milton. You can hear the wind shredding through it. Absolutely heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/L4RqMkTrcF

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 10, 2024

Milton’s effects so far

As of 2:30 a.m. ET Thursday, more than 2.8 million customers lost power in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us. There are more than 11.5 million power customers in Florida.

Officials say search and rescue efforts are underway in Florida after dangerous tornadoes ripped through the region.

About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.

The storm has already shattered records, producing more than 100 tornado warnings in a single day, surpassing Florida’s previous record.

The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, is peeling off as Hurricane Milton lashes the area with extreme winds. The stadium, located in St. Petersburg, is facing damage as gusts of up to 93 mph have been reported in the city.

A flash flood warning has been issued for Orlando, Deltona and Daytona Beach until 4:30 a.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service.

A flash flood warning has been issued for Brandon, Lakeland, and Palm Harbor until 4 a.m. ET.

Martin County Fire Rescue says serious and minor injuries were reported with dozens of residences damaged.

Shelters in Tampa are beginning to reach capacity.

Some power lines were taken down earlier in the day by tornadoes that formed in the rain bands of the hurricane.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said more than 100,000 hotel rooms have been filled by stranded tourists and hurricane evacuees.

Hurricane Milton getting intense in Tampa. https://t.co/vgaKyqXt8p

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) October 10, 2024

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video to Facebook showing a 10,000-square-foot iron building that had been twisted into a crumpled heap by a tornado. The structure was where the sheriff’s office kept its patrol cars, but luckily, no one was inside when it fell, Pearson said.

The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, destroying homes and leaving some residents dead.

“We have lost some life,” Pearson told WPBF News. He did not say how many were killed.

Tornadoes developing as Milton approaches Florida

Hurricane Milton has spawned multiple tornadoes, surpassing the 64 tornado warnings associated with Hurricane Ian in 2022. Florida broke its record for the most tornado warnings in a single day, with over 100 generated as the storm continues to wreak havoc.

As of Wednesday evening, three Florida offices of the National Weather Service had issued a total of 133 tornado warnings associated with Hurricane Milton.

The storm’s outer bands have already begun to impact inland and Southern Florida, spawning a confirmed tornado in rural Broward County and a “multivortex tornado” in Lakeport on Wednesday morning.

Tornadoes across the southern part of the state have added another layer of danger for residents in the Sunshine State. Tornado warnings have been issued for areas near Orange County.

The Miami and Tampa offices issued 49 warnings each, while Melbourne had 35.

The St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office said a tornado caused structural damage to the office, with video capturing significant damage.

Videos posted to Reddit and other social media sites showed large funnel clouds over neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state.

Tornadoes produced by hurricanes and tropical storms most often occur in the right-front quadrant of the storm, but sometimes they can also take place near the storm’s eyewall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The heat and humidity present in the atmosphere during such storms and changes in wind direction or speed with height, known as wind shear, contribute to their development.

Florida local official warnings

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday night that the storm surge from Milton is expected to be between 5 and 13 feet, with the highest point between Anna Maria Island in Manatee County and the Charlotte County line.

In a media briefing, DeSantis reminded residents that while the storm is predicted to reach landfall on the west coast of the state, both coasts and those inland will see impacts from the storm that has been described as unprecedented.

He urged residents to heed local orders and evacuate if it was still safe to do so, noting that in some cases, it would be too late for people to get out ahead of the storm. DeSantis said the state has partnered with Uber to provide free rides to shelters in evacuation areas as long as it is safe to do so.

Manatee County and Pasco County, Florida, suspended emergency services: “Due to hazardous conditions. Emergency services are suspended; 911 emergency calls will be logged and queued based on priority and will be responded to as soon as safe to do so. Please shelter in place,” the county wrote in a post on X.

U.S. National Hurricane Center forecaster Daniel Brown acknowledged that Hurricane Milton could still weaken a bit before making landfall, but it won’t have a significant, practical effect on the people and property in its path.

“It’s really not going to change the expected storm surge, dangerous winds and heavy rainfall,” Brown said.

Officials at local, state and federal levels have urged all residents in evacuation areas to obey instructions, calling the storm “catastrophic” and warning them that storm surges in many areas would be unsurvivable.

The governor also warned people driving electric vehicles that saltwater intrusion can cause fires and urged EV owners to move their vehicles to higher ground to minimize the risk.

In Sarasota, Commissioner Kyle Battie told NewsNation the city is braced for the storm and urged people to listen to updates from local officials.

“We have a lot of people that haven’t been through a hurricane,” he said, noting that the city has only been on the edges of storms in recent decades. “We haven’t had a direct hit. This is a first for all of us.”

Sarasota County Government issued a shelter-in-place order in a post on X saying, “It is no longer safe to be on the roadways. Individuals SHOULD NOT go out on the roadways. They should now SHELTER IN PLACE. There are reports of flooding and it is not safe to be out on the road for the duration of the storm.”

Battie said he’s particularly concerned about the storm surge and fears people underestimating how bad it will be.

“I had to kayak a neighbor our last hurricane,” he said. “I had to convince her to leave.”

The state has also activated the Florida Disaster Fund, a charitable organization where people can donate to help those affected by the disaster.

“We can use it in a flexible way to get people back on their feet,” DeSantis said.

Officials also urged people not to remove debris themselves following the storm, especially in areas with downed trees and power lines.

Milton: What is being done to help?

According to DeSantis’ website, 10 hospitals reported evacuations as of Tuesday afternoon.

His website also lays out all efforts being made to ensure safe rescue and recovery protocols.

Milton hit the state less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ripped through parts of the state.

DeSantis said the state is actively fulfilling over 1,500 missions, saying the state has delivered massive amounts of supplies, including meals, water bottles, sandbags, tarps and generators.

The state has deployed more than 11,000 feet of flood protection systems for critical infrastructure such as hospitals, wastewater treatment facilities and electrical infrastructure, the governor said.

More than 350 ambulances and another 30 medical transport vehicles are in operation with another 144 staged if needed.

DeSantis said he hopes 40,000 linemen will be staged to help support power restoration after landfall.

DeSantis said 8,000 National Guardsmen will be activated before landfall.

Singer Taylor Swift donated $5 million to Feeding America which aims to end hunger and help communities in need in the wake of Hurricane Helene and Milton.

Biden administration braces for Milton

President Joe Biden spoke Wednesday evening and urged residents to listen to their local officials, adding that he has approved emergency declarations for the state.

The president said the government will work with state officials to clear debris and restore power as fast as possible. He also said they will work to reopen the Port of Tampa as soon as possible.

“We’ve got your back,” Biden said.

He praised the efforts of first responders and others involved in rescue and recovery efforts, thanking them for their courage and sacrifice for leaving their own families behind to help other peoples’ families.

“Fellow Americans looking out for one another. That’s America at its very best. It’s who we are,” he said.

Biden also addressed rumors surrounding $750 payments and the disbursement of other government funds after Hurricane Helene.

He called the promotion of lies and disinformation “reckless and irresponsible,” adding that it undermines the recovery efforts. Biden specifically pointed out statements from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene suggesting that the federal government is controlling the weather.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “It’s so stupid. It’s got to stop.”

Hurricane Helene recovery efforts

Communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago have been working day and night to remove the debris from their homes before Milton makes landfall with the potential to turn wrecked furniture into projectiles.

“I went through Katrina, and that was mainly winds that destroyed everything. And everything’s a projectile out here right now because everybody’s house is in the front yard, and so all of this is going to be pretty much missiles coming through if it’s the amount of wind that’s going through with this hurricane coming in,” New Port Richey resident Scott Pepperman said.

Milton remains on track to be the worst storm to hit the Tampa Bay area in over a century, forecasters have warned. The region has become home to more than 3 million people and is one of the most vulnerable metropolitan areas in the U.S. to storm surge.

Scientists expect the system to retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.

Hurricane evacuations cause traffic headaches

With mass evacuations from the Gulf Coast underway, gas stations have been running out of fuel, but the state has already begun to deploy emergency supplies since Monday night.

“Almost a quarter of gas stations in Florida don’t have gasoline,” said Patrick De Haan, author of the gasoline analysis site GasBuddy. “In Tampa … 63% of stations don’t have gasoline right now,” he told NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”

Once the storm passes, De Haan said it could be a few days, or it could be two or three weeks, before every gas station in western Florida can fill up.

Flights out of the Tampa area were halted Tuesday as both Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport closed in preparation for Milton.

The Florida Department of Transportation said major bridges are expected to close given the upcoming hazardous weather conditions from Milton, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Howard Frankland and Gandy Bridges, and the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

How was Mexico affected by Hurricane Milton?

Milton began in the western Gulf of Mexico earlier this week, and authorities in the Mexican state of Yucatan reported only minor storm damage. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, according to Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz.

He did not report any deaths or injuries.

Georgia governor warns coastal residents to prepare for hazards from Milton

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday urged residents of the state’s coastal counties to prepare for falling trees, scattered power outages and potential flooding near the ocean as Hurricane Milton crosses Florida.

All 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Georgia coast were under a tropical storm warning Wednesday and Thursday. Still, Milton’s impacts in the state were expected to be far less severe than those from Hurricane Helene, which killed 34 people in Georgia and inflicted widespread damage statewide two weeks ago.

“We don’t think this is going to be a hard hit,” Kemp told reporters after meeting with local emergency management officials in Savannah. “But we want to over-prepare and hope this storm, for us at least, under-delivers.”

Kemp said about 50,000 Georgia homes and businesses remain without electricity after Helene initially left more than 1.3 million in the dark. He said those still lacking power are in rural areas where customers are more spread out, causing repairs to take longer.

NewsNation affiliate WFLA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.