The damage from Hurricane Milton is being assessed across Florida, and Volusia County appears to have been hit with a heavy toll. At least four fatalities have been confirmed by Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood as of Thursday afternoon.
One death was announced by the City of Port Orange on Thursday: a 54-year-old resident was found dead after a tree fell on her home on Spring Drive. Her identity has not been announced while the Port Orange Police Department contacts her next-of-kin.
Another death occurred as a result of a resident suffering a heart attack while preparing their property for Milton. Beyond that, a third death in Volusia County occurred when a resident entered cardiac arrest during the storm's peak intensity. Emergency response personnel attempted to respond to this resident, but were unable to do so in time to save them.
"I had the ability to traverse the county last night, prior to and when the eye came ashore and I can tell you, we are in for a long recovery," Chitwood said Thursday. "We need your help to get it done."
Several roads have been closed in Volusia County due to damage and flooding from Milton's landfall Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. A double red flag is being flown at Volusia beaches due to severely hazardous ocean conditions, rip currents, large waves, and high tides. Residents are strongly urged to refrain from entering the ocean while these conditions persist.
A countywide curfew is being enacted in Volusia County from 9:00 pm Thursday to 5:00 am Friday. Exceptions to the curfew include law enforcement officers, emergency responders, and employees traveling to and from work. Those caught violating the curfew who don't fit into one of these groups may be fined up to $500 and/or jailed for up to 60 days.
At least seven other deaths have been confirmed across Florida aside from the four in Volusia County. St. Lucie County so far has the highest number of reported deaths, with six as of Thursday afternoon. At least two are dead in Pinellas County, plus one at least in Polk County and Citrus County respectively.
Power outages have been reported en masse across Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, with just under 3.1 million being reported as of Thursday afternoon. Over 197k are without power in Volusia County, in addition to over 49k in Flagler County. The counties most plagued by outages include Manatee (75% of customers), Hillsborough (73% of customers), and Pinellas (72% of customers).
