The death toll from Hurricane Milton stood at 16 on Friday morning with Florida residents warned to expect the number to rise as rescue workers claw their way through floodwaters and debris.
CBS News cited the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for the number of casualties, Reuters reports.
The BBC went further by noting that figure could still rise as the trail of destruction left by the extreme weather event becomes more apparent.
In comparison, Hurricane Helene, with devastating inland flooding that spread over several states beyond Florida, killed at least 241 just last month.
14-Year-Old Boy Rescued from Top of Floating Debris in Milton’s Aftermath
The deadly storm came days after Hurricane Helene hit the state, requiring a massive clean-up operation just weeks before the November 5 general elections.
While Milton did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared in Florida, one of many states hit by Hurricane Helene about two weeks ago, the clean-up operation could take many weeks or months for some people, the Reuters report warns.
The fifth-most-intense Atlantic hurricane on record, Milton could cost insurers alone up to $100 billion, analysts say.
Some 2.75 million homes and businesses in Florida overall were without power late on Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Tornado Flattens St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Ahead of Hurricane Milton
Some have been waiting days for power to be restored after Hurricane Helene hit the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cautioned on Thursday that although the state had avoided the “worst-case scenario,” the damage was still significant.
Orlando International Airport, the state’s busiest, said departures for domestic flights and international flights would resume Friday, after resuming domestic arrivals Thursday evening.
The airport had minor damage, including a few leaks and downed trees.
