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Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on Florida after it made landfall in Siesta Key on Wednesday night.

The Category 3 storm — now a downgraded Category 1 — brought wind gusts exceeding 100 mph and 13-foot storm surges inundating some communities.

At least eight people have died, officials said Thursday, including five killed in a tornado outbreak in Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County.

More than 3 million homes and businesses are still without power, and officials are warning that flash flooding remains a threat in many parts of central Florida.

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What we covered

DeSantis rips Harris again for butting into Milton response: ‘No role in this process’

By Ryan King

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis briefed President Biden on the fallout from Hurricane Milton Thursday morning while hammering Vice President Kamala Harris once again over her swipe at him for not taking her call earlier this week.

The Sunshine State governor chided that Harris “doesn’t understand what it means to respond to these natural disasters,” and again accused her of politicizing the crisis.

“She has no role in this process. And I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both [former President Donald] Trump and [President] Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it,” DeSantis told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” hours after Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis has been trying to navigate his state through two brutal hurricanes. Mishalynn Brown/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Biden tells 'Mr. President Trump' to 'get a life, man!'

By Steven Nelson

President Biden attacked former President Donald Trump on Thursday for allegedly spreading misinformation about federal hurricane recovery efforts.

"Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man!" Biden said in his first remarks after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, when a reporter asked POTUS if he'd spoken to Trump.

"Help these people," he added.

biden
"Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man!" Biden said in his first remarks after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, when a reporter asked POTUS if he'd spoken to Trump. AP

Biden said "the public will hold him accountable, you better in the press hold him accountable, because you know the truth."

Biden and Trump, the Republican presidential nominee in the Nov. 5 election, have clashed over the federal response to the earlier Hurricane Helene.

Trump accused the Biden administration of neglecting to help heavily Republican areas of western North Carolina and said he called billionaire Elon Musk to deploy Starlink satellites to provide the region with internet — an initiative Biden later claimed credit for.

Trump also highlighted FEMA expenditures on illegal immigrants after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas initially claimed hurricane relief funds were running low, which the White House has cast as misleading because the immigrant funds were approved by Congress for that purpose.

Biden says relief workers 'received death penalties yesterday' due to misinformation, in embarrassing gaffe

By Steven Nelson

President Biden mistakenly said Thursday that hurricane relief workers "received death penalties" as the result of misinformation — when he meant to say death threats.

The retiring 81-year-old president made the error twice when speaking for the first time about the impact of Hurricane Milton striking Florida overnight.

"Our fellow Americans are putting their lives on the line to do this dangerous work and receive death penalties — some received death penalties yesterday as a result of recklessly responsible, relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow," Biden said.

biden
Biden mistakenly said Thursday that hurricane relief workers "received death penalties" as the result of misinformation — when he meant to say death threats. AP

Biden and fellow Democrats have broadly dismissed criticism of the federal response to the earlier Hurricane Helene as misinformation.

Although some local officials blasted FEMA's initial response to Hurricane Helene, especially in western North Carolina and Georgia, some specific anecdotes — such as the aid agency seizing goods or blocking the flow of private aid — didn't hold up to subsequent scrutiny.

The White House has further alleged that the framing of some criticism constitutes misinformation — including GOP scorn over an initial $750 relief payment that neglected to note that further help would come later and Republicans blasting the amount of money that FEMA had spent to house and feed illegal immigrants, when those funds had been approved by Congress knowing how they would be spent.

'World's worst influencer' Caroline Calloway marks herself safe from Hurricane Milton

By Kaydi Pelletier

A day after telling her followers she was "going to die" by opting not to evacuate her home despite being in a mandatory evacuation zone, “world’s worst influencer” Caroline Calloway revealed she made it through the storm.

The self-professed scammer, who said she lives in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, took to social media Thursday with a pic of a text message saying "I lived bitch" and a selfie — featuring her cat wearing knitted bunny ears.

caroline calloway and her cat
Caroline Calloway marked herself safe from Hurricane Milton after saying she was "going to die" for not evacuating. Caroline Calloway via X

Can't make this stuff up.

'Deeply saddened' Trump sends prayers to hurricane-hit Floridians

By Elizabeth Karpen

Former President Donald Trump sent a message to those impacted by Hurricane Milton Thursday afternoon.

"Melania and I are praying for you as you face the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. We are deeply saddened by the devastation being reported and it sounds like it's as bad as it gets. We feel so sorry for you," Trump said.

TO THE GREAT PEOPLE OF FLORIDA… pic.twitter.com/hv34G8hpr2

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2024

Trump said that Florida will be rebuilt "better" than before, saying he's been in contact with Gov. Ron DeSantis amid the hurricane.

"The sun will shine again on the beautiful Florida we love so much, I live there also," he continued.

Trump turned his video to attack President Joe Biden's response to Hurricane Milton.

"Hopefully on Jan. 20, you'll have somebody that's really going to help you," he said.

Florida officers rescue stranded boy clinging to fence in underwater street

By David Spector

A teen boy clinging to a piece of fence in a completely flooded zone of Florida was dramatically rescued by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department officers.

"We'll come to you, be careful," the officer says as his boat approaches the stranded 14 year old.

The water was so high that half of the bottom half of surrounding buildings and homes were completely submerged.

The teen appears to throw articles of clothing towards the watercraft as it motors towards him. When the boat as a safe distance away the boy swam towards it and the officers lifted him into the vessel. The teen was not wearing a shirt.

Disney World confirms it will reopen Friday

By Kaydi Pelletier

Disney World confirmed on its website Thursday that it will reopen the following day.

"We’re grateful Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm, and we are currently assessing the impacts to our property to prepare for reopening the theme parks, Disney Springs and possibly other areas on Friday, October 11," reads an alert at the top of its site.

"Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm."

The "happiest place on earth" still drew park-goers Wednesday, just hours before Hurricane Milton's projected landfall. Its parks were open until 1 p.m.

people at magic kingdom
The "happiest place on earth" still drew park-goers Wednesday, just hours before Hurricane Milton's projected landfall. AP
people entering disney world
Disney's Florida parks were open until 1 p.m. REUTERS

Disney World has closed only 11 times in its 53 years.

3 hurricane deaths in Daytona Beach area: report

By Kaydi Pelletier

At least three people are dead in Volusia County, Fla., an area that includes Daytona Beach, NBC News is reporting.

Four other deaths from Hurricane Milton were confirmed earlier this morning.

At least 3 deaths confirmed in Volusia County from #HurricaneMilton@VolusiaSheriff asks folks to be patient. They’re working to respond to calls as quickly as possible — much of county has flooding, similar to Ian

Curfew planned again tonight to speed the clean-up@NBCNewspic.twitter.com/EhfsAMbc0p

— Chase Cain (@ChaseCainNBC) October 10, 2024

22 people rescued from rising water in Pasco County in Hurricane Milton's wake

By Elizabeth Karpen

After Hurricane Milton, thousands of Floridians' homes are flooded. In Pasco County, the Sheriff's Office has begun ongoing rescue missions alongside the National Guard.

So far, the department has rescued 22 people, including children, who were unable to leave their homes.

Members of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, including Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco County Fire Rescue and the National Guard are participating in ongoing water rescues due to flooding from the Anclote River in the area of Mitchell Blvd and Little Rd. Efforts are ongoing and… pic.twitter.com/LAHTINuiTM

— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) October 10, 2024

Furniture scattered and streets flooded in Siesta Key, where Milton landed: video

By Post Staff Report

Post video we captured in Siesta Key, Fla., where Milton made landfall Wednesday night, shows couches and other furniture scattered in the streets, and other roads flooded while helicopters zoom overhead:

Sheriffs invite owner of large drug stash found in hurricane cleanup to retrieve it: 'Please come see us'

By Chris Nesi

A Georgia sheriff's department clearing a highway in Davisboro after Hurricane Helene found a large stash of drugs and has cordially invited its rightful owner to come retrieve it.

"While in Davisboro last week during storm response, deputies located these items in a clearing off Highway 231 near Washington State Prison," the Washington County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post dripping with sarcasm.

"If you would like to claim ownership of these packages, please come see us at 733 Kaolin Road, Sandersville. Georgia."

Contents included marijuana and THC.
Contents included marijuana and THC. Washington County Sheriff's Office, Georgia

The office shared pictures of the haul, which includes numerous large bags of marijuana, commercially packaged THC-infused edibles and several bottles of prescription medication.

It was not immediately known whether the owner was taking the office up on their offer.

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