Hurricane Milton, described as the worst to hit Florida in a century, lashed the city of Tampa with gale-force winds and torrential rain, leaving residents without power and facing telecommunications disruptions.
Michael Hill, a Greek resident who has lived in the area for six years, told philenews: “The gale-force winds and rain did not stop, we constantly felt like we were in a washing machine”.
Hill reported that the storm began at 20:00 local time and reached its peak around 22:00. As of Wednesday morning, many roads remained closed as authorities and citizens began to assess the damage.
“Many have gone out onto the streets and are cleaning their neighbourhoods of branches and fallen trees, but we cannot yet calculate the extent of the destruction”, Hill said.
He noted that unlike other areas of Florida, evacuation in Tampa was not mandatory. “Millions of people who lived in areas near the sea left to not put their lives at risk. We avoided the worst as if the hurricane had moved a little further north, it would have flooded the port, causing massive floods”, Hill added.
Residents now face the challenge of meeting immediate needs, including finding ways to charge mobile phones amidst the power outage. “We have water and food, but no matter how prepared you are, you never know what can happen to you”, Hill said.
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