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Residents were sheltering at a school in New Port Richey, Florida, as hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
Milton is bringing powerful winds, deadly storm surge and flooding Wednesday night along much of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as it roared ashore 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Rosemary Smith was one of many sheltering at the school in New Port Richey.
She said her home had been damaged by hurricane Helene and she had been living in a mobile home whilst the damage was being fixed.
She was forced to leave the mobile home and shelter at the school following warnings about the severity of Milton.
The National Hurricane Center says Milton was fueled by an extremely warm Gulf of Mexico.
It was expected to remain a hurricane as it crossed the Florida peninsula Thursday before emerging in the Atlantic Ocean.