Hurricane Milton has whirled into the Atlantic Ocean after ploughing across Florida, where it whipped up a barrage of tornadoes and caused at least five deaths.

The storm knocked out power to more than three million customers and compounded the misery wrought by an earlier deadly mega storm system, Helene.

Fortunately, it spared Tampa a direct hit.

The system tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late on Wednesday (local time) as a category three storm in Siesta Key, about 112 kilometres south of Tampa.

Damage was widespread, and water levels may continue to rise for days, but Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said it was not “the worst-case scenario”.

The deadly storm surge feared for Tampa apparently did not materialise, though the storm dumped up to 450 millimetres of rain in some areas, DeSantis said.

The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 2½-3 metres – lower than in the worst place during Helene.

“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said.

As dawn broke on Thursday, officials repeated that the danger had not passed: There were storm-surge warnings for much of the east-central Florida coast and north into Georgia.

There were also tropical storm warnings along the coast into South Carolina.

Officials in the hard-hit Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.

“We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, said on Facebook.

The fabric roof of the Tropicana Field stadium – home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St Petersburg – was ripped to shreds by fierce winds.

It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside. Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm.

In St Petersburg, a water main break has led city authorities to shut down mains water. Mayor Ken Welch had told residents to expect long power outages and the possible shutdown of the sewer system.

During a break in the storm, Tampa police rescued 15 people from a single-storey home damaged by a fallen tree, authorities said.

Just inland from Tampa, the flooding in Plant City was “absolutely staggering”, city manager Bill McDaniel said.

He said emergency crews had rescued 35 people overnight, and estimated the city had had 340 millimetres of rain.

“We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community for my entire life,” he said in a video posted online Thursday morning.

The storm slammed into a region still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the US South.

In many places along the coast, municipalities had raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge could toss it around and compound any damage.

Officials had issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.

Biden lashes Trump on disasters

US President Joe Biden has publicly admonished Donald Trump, telling his predecessor to “get a life, man” and try to help people affected by the twin hurricanes rather than spreading misinformation about the federal response.

Trump has complained on the US election campaign hustings about the federal response to natural disasters that have damaged much of the country’s south-east as he seeks to gain a political advantage from two recent hurricanes.

Speaking at the White House on the government’s work to address Hurricanes Milton and Helene, Biden condemned the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow”.

The White House, and Biden personally, have spent days decrying Trump for making false claims about the disaster response, including that federal funding is being diverted for use on people in the country illegally and that such assistance is capped at $750.

“That $750 that they’re talking about, Mr Trump and all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get,” Biden said.

“It’s just bizarre. They got to stop this. They’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.”

Trump, the Republican candidate in November’s presidential election, has sent a message to people affected by both hurricanes.

He praised Republican governors of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina but suggested the federal response had been lacking, particularly in North Carolina, where he alleged the government after Helene had “not done what you’re supposed to be doing”.

“They’ve let those people suffer unjustly,” said Trump, who has for several days promoted falsehoods about the response of Biden and emergency management officials.

Biden, who said Milton “is looking like the storm of the century”, postponed a trip to Germany and Angola to cope with its aftermath.

He and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, met officials at the White House to discuss disaster response.

 

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Swift donates $5 million

Taylor Swift has donated $US5 million to help residents in Florida rebuild their lives after the devastating hurricanes.

Non-profit group Feeding America announced the pop star’s donation with a “thank you” graphic resembling a friendship bracelet, a favourite accessory that Swift’s fans trade at her concerts.

Feeding America was “incredibly grateful” for the donation, CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said.

“This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms,” she said.

“Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead.”

In a follow-up statement, Babineaux-Fontenot thanked actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for their donation of $1 million. She said the couple’s “long-time support of Feeding America in times of crisis” had helped provide basic needs after several natural disasters.

Swift has a long history of donations after natural disasters or tragic events, including a tornado that hit Tennessee in 2020 and a shooting in February 2024 at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade.

-AAP