Hurricane Milton leaves trail of destruction after slamming into Florida

The cloth roof of Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped to shreds by the powerful winds. The stadium was serving as a base camp for thousands of emergency responders.

Colonel’s Island in the Port of Brunswick in Georgia halted vessel operations Thursday with plans to resume Friday.

Port Panama City resumed normal cargo operations on Thursday.

The Canaveral, Fernandina, Jacksonville, Key West, Fort Myers, Manatee, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa ports were closed Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Port Tampa Bay and SeaPort Manatee were conducting damage assessments Thursday. A Tampa Bay port spokeswoman said the port had lost power and numerous buildings sustained damage, though none of the damage was significant. SeaPort Manatee was also without power.

President Joe Biden called Milton “the storm of the century.” He approved an emergency disaster declaration earlier in the week. 

Milton hit on the heels of Helene, which slammed into Florida before crawling up the coast and devastating North Carolina.

Warehouses and distribution centers in Milton’s path, including for Amazon, Publix and Walmart, were recalibrating ahead of landfall. David Spencer, market intelligence vice president at Arrive Logistics, said cost volatility and regional demand fluctuations will likely be felt throughout the next week due to the storm’s impact on freight markets.
The American Logistics Aid Network, a nonprofit that connects other nonprofits to logistics providers, was juggling requests for both hurricanes Milton and Helene.