Hundreds rescued from Florida floodwaters as death toll from 'catastrophic' Hurricane Milton rises to 16
11 October 2024, 07:18 | Updated: 11 October 2024, 07:29
Rescue efforts following "catastrophic" flooding from Hurricane Milton continue across the state of Florida - as the death toll rose to 16 overnight.
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Among those saved by the US Coastguard was a man discovered clinging to a cool box 30 miles off the South Florida coast.
It comes as hundreds of people trapped in an apartment complex in Clearwater, 20 miles west of Tampa, were rescued overnight.
The 449 adults and 116 children and teenagers were rescued from 178 apartments in the area, as floodwaters remained neck deep in places.
Crew were seen descending from a helicopter near Longboat Key on Thursday, with the man found kneeling on top of the kitchen item while floating off the Gulf of Mexico.
With floodwaters remaining high, many have left many trapped in their homes, as the death toll from the powerful Category 3 hurricane rose from 11 to 16 overnight.
The figure includes six people who died in St Lucie County as a result of tornadoes touching down ahead of the hurricane.
It comes hours after Joe Biden hit out at Donald Trump over misinformation claims, telling his political rival to "get a life" and try to help people impacted by hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Speaking on Thursday, the president condemned the "reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow".
The discovery of the lone man floating off the Florida coast saw the US Coastguard announce: "This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner."
Lieutenant Commander Dana Grady, of the US Coast Guard, continued: "To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90mph winds, 20-25ft seas, for an extended period of time to include overnight.
"He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler."
He remains the lucky one, however, as the search continues for two men who went missing after venturing out on a boat in a bid to avoid Hurricane Milton.
The US Coast Guard confirmed Andreas Gabriel Kirchberger and Kenneth Thomas Ruetzel remain missing, with the pair last seen leaving Charlotte Harbor on Tuesday for Tarpon Springs, around 25 miles north of Tampa.
Milton made landfall as a category 3 storm at around 8.30pm EST (1.30am BST). It brought floods, 120mph winds, and deadly tornadoes.
More than three million homes and businesses have been left without power in the wake of Milton’s landfall.
Officials said on Thursday that 'everything in Milton's path is gone' as Ron DeSantis launched over 100 rescue missions across the state.
With floodwaters remaining perilously high across areas of the state, the water levels have seen a number of unwanted visitors make their way into residential areas.
#Breaking An @USCG Air Station Miami 65 helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to a cooler approximately 30 mi. off Longboat Key.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) October 10, 2024
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical care.
Sector St. Pete lost communications w/ the man at approx. 6:45 p.m., Wed. #SAR pic.twitter.com/64wSHuRAeH
One man was captured having a close encounter with an alligator on Wednesday night, with the Floridian
as the creature emerged from the floodwaters of Hurricane Milton.
The shocking video showed the man peering out of his car window before spotting a "big f------ alligator" chewing at his tire.
The beast caused the man to retreat in shock, with experts warning of the risk of such predators appearing after being washed into residential areas by the floods.
