3.5 Million Left Without Power After Florida Hit by Second Climate-Fueled Deadly Hurricane in Weeks

More than 3 million people in Florida are without power after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota County on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, pummeling the area with torrential rains and winds of up to 120 miles an hour. Multiple deaths were confirmed after tornadoes tore through a senior center in Fort Pierce, but officials have just begun assessing the full damage from Milton, which arrived just two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed at least 230 people across the southeastern United States. Scientists say hurricanes are becoming more intense as a result of the climate crisis. I have never experienced a storm quite like this," says Florida state Representative Michele Rayner, who evacuated her home in St. Petersburg.