USA "Milton" rages in Florida - heavy damage reported

Hurricane "Milton" caused severe damage on its way through the US state of Florida. According to initial reports, the region south of the city of Tampa on the east coast, which had already been classified as a high-risk area before the hurricane hit, was particularly affected.

In the city of St. Petersburg, the city turned off the drinking water after a water pipe burst. Water for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth must be boiled until further notice, according to a statement from the authorities. Repairs would begin as soon as it was safe for the workers. Around 260,000 people live in St. Petersburg.

The media also reported uprooted trees, fallen power poles and flooding in several Florida cities. More than 2.6 million households in the state were without power, according to data from the website poweroutage.us.

Roof of a baseball stadium damaged

The authorities also reported that a crane on a construction site in St. Petersburg had toppled over. The roof of the Tropicana Field baseball stadium was also damaged. According to local media reports, the stadium had been used as a meeting place for first responders before the storm arrived. No injuries have been reported in the two incidents so far.

"Milton" had reached the west coast of Florida as a category 3 out of 5 hurricane and weakened over land.

SDA