Officials confirm four dead in southeast Florida from tornadoes spawning off Hurricane Milton

Local officials in southeastern Florida have confirmed that four people died from tornadoes which hit St Lucie County yesterday before Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

There were almost 100 tornado warnings put in place across the state yesterday as a result of the Milton weather system, with 55 of those in the Miami-South Florida region alone.

This morning, officials in St Lucie County confirmed that four people had died as a result of two tornadoes which had impacted the area in south east Florida.

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“First responders and public works/utility crews are conducting response and recovery efforts caused by two confirmed tornados that touched down prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, Oct. 9 starting around 4:30 p.m.,” local officials said in a statement.

“The St. Lucie Medical Examiner has confirmed four fatalities as a result of these tornadoes.

“Numerous homes and structures across St. Lucie County, including the City of Port St. Lucie and unincorporated areas, suffered significant damage.”

St Lucie County is not the only area to have been badly hit by tornadoes, as the fire department in neighbouring Palm Beach County confirmed that at least five people were taken to hospital following “multiple reports of tornadoes”.

“Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to multiple reports of tornadoes, associated injuries, and trapped people in the Wellington, Acreage, and Loxahatchee areas this afternoon,” they said.

“Firefighters located and rescued multiple people from damaged structures and vehicles. Some were trapped under rubble or stuck in overturned vehicles tossed by the strong winds.

“Our Special Operations Team conducted a technical rescue to free one person from an overturned RV,” they added.

The county fire department added that they transported “five patients, including three trauma patients, and treated many more walk-up patients with minor injuries”.

“Our crews on the scene reported several damaged homes, vehicles picked up and moved, and debris all over the area.”

Hurricane Milton made landfall at around 8:30pm last night on Florida’s west coast and has caused extensive damage as it has made its way across the state’s central belt – more than 3 million people are now without power.

While the storm may have passed into the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center has warned that there is a risk of flash flooding in some areas over the coming days.