TAMPA, Fla.—After more than a week of watching, worrying, and speculating, Floridians came face to face with Hurricane Milton.
There was damage in Milton’s wake, as well as tragedies. At least 10 people lost their lives because of the storm.
For most, however, it was a hurricane that wasn’t as bad as expected.
As the storm inched across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida gaining strength, residents were told to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Many along the state’s Gulf Coast were still sorting through debris from Hurricane Helene two weeks earlier.
Milton appeared merciless. The National Hurricane Center predicted it would make landfall as a borderline Category 4 storm, pummelling Tampa Bay, then trekking across the heavily populated I-4 corridor, and remaining a strong Category 1 hurricane as it entered the Atlantic….