Washington, October 11 (QNA) - The death toll of Hurricane Milton, which hit the US state of Florida, has risen to 14, in addition to massive destruction of facilities and homes and the cancelation of thousands of flights in the state, according to US authorities.
Local authorities said that Hurricane Milton, which made landfall last Wednesday evening, caused widespread flooding and unexpected tornadoes that increased the extent of the damage.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that most of the deaths resulted from tornadoes that hit different areas of the state.
For his part, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the storm was strong but weakened before reaching land, explaining that the sea flooding was less severe compared to Hurricane Helene, which hit the region two weeks ago.
The hurricane caused power outages for about 3 million people, while thousands of flights were canceled as a result of the storm.
The US Hurricane Center noted that "Milton" is still considered a strong storm despite its decreasing intensity. Last Thursday, US authorities called on millions of residents to evacuate their homes, and there were reports of traffic jams and fuel shortages.
Hurricane "Milton" arrived just two weeks after the devastating Hurricane "Helen" that hit Florida and other states in the southeast of the country, leaving behind massive destruction and heavy human losses. (QNA)