Florida authorities had to rescue a 14-year-old by boat after the boy became stranded on floating debris.
In a video posted on Facebook Thursday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the boy became submerged in floodwaters after Hurricane Milton struck the night before. The video shows the officers arriving by boat and lifting the teen from the water.
Milton made landfall in Siesta Key Wednesday night after weakening from a Category 5 to a Category 3 due to wind shear. It caused extensive damage, though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the area was spared from the worst-case scenario that officials feared.
Still, more than 3 million Floridian customers were without power hours after the hurricane exited to the Atlantic.
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Early Thursday, first responders and other crews worked to clean up the downed trees that fell on cars and homes and rescue any residents who'd become trapped due to flooding. Additional videos posted to the HCSO Facebook page showed people wading in sometimes waist-high water to reach rescue vehicles among submerged vehicles and buildings. Boats were captured taking to the streets where cars drove just a day earlier.
Elsewhere, the sheriff's office passed out food and supplies to more than 135 evacuees from a Tampa assisted living center, while other area residents had to shelter in place due to being blocked in from storm damage, including in one area that was stranded by a giant sinkhole that opened at an intersection.
Residents in multiple counties are being asked to avoid any unnecessary travel as efforts to assess Hurricane Milton's damage go on.
