President Joe Biden is set to visit Florida on Sunday to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, marking his second visit to the state in just 10 days. The hurricane has left over 2.2 million residents without electricity, with the majority of power outages concentrated along Florida’s west-central coast, particularly in Tampa and Fort Myers.
Hurricane Milton’s impact has been devastating, with at least 16 reported deaths and hundreds of people rescued by emergency workers. The storm’s strong winds spawned over a dozen tornadoes, causing widespread destruction. Six people were killed by tornadoes in St. Lucie County, with additional fatalities reported in Volusia, Pinellas, Citrus, Polk, Hillsborough, and Orange counties.
The White House has not specified the exact locations of Biden’s visit, but areas impacted by the storm, including Tampa, Fort Myers, and Naples, are expected to be on the itinerary.
In addition to the power outages, almost 30% of Florida’s gas stations are out of fuel, with roughly 2,320 stations affected. However, GasBuddy analysts expect stations to be refueled within the next 72 hours.
Hurricane Milton’s unusual west-to-east trajectory made it extremely dangerous, causing water levels to rise up to 9 feet in some areas. The storm’s impact follows closely after Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida two weeks ago as a Category 4 storm, resulting in at least 20 deaths.
As residents begin the cleanup process, Duke Energy of Florida has warned of downed power lines and other hazards. The death toll may continue to rise as cleanup efforts progress.