At least six people are dead from tornadoes that spawned Wednesday in St. Lucie County, Florida, just as Hurricane Milton was preparing to make landfall in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed the deaths Thursday, saying the storm spawned at least 19 twisters and as many as 116 tornado warnings that sounded across the state.
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6 FATALITIES: DeSantis visits St. Lucie Co. after deadly tornado outbreak
"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. "Search and rescue efforts are ongoing in storm-affected areas throughout Florida. These lifesaving operations will continue for as long as it takes."
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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 afternoon, more than 3 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."
