Hurricane Milton strikes Florida as a deadly Category 3 storm [Video]

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida residents returned to the familiar ritual of assessing hurricane damage Thursday, the day after Milton smashed through many coastal communities and spawned a barrage of tornadoes that killed at least five people less than two weeks after the misery wrought by Helene.

The storm knocked out power to more than 3 million customers, flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a construction crane.

But many people also expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse. The system spared Tampa a direct hit, and the lethal storm surge that scientists feared never materialized.

The system tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. Damage was widespread, and water levels …