Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, uprooting trees, and leaving more than a foot of rain in Tampa and other areas.
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Oliver Mair, Jamaica's Consul General to Miami as well as Ian Bryan and Dwayne Williams, Jamaicans living in Florida
By Nakinskie Robinson
Daybreak now tells the story of the damage wrought by Hurricane Milton when it brought punishing rains, storm surge and winds to Florida.
The category 3 storm which made landfall in the state, took roofs, and left more than a foot of rain in Tampa and other areas.
While scores are now left to rebuild from the rubble, the word so far is that Jamaicans who were in storm's path, managed to weather the worst.
Jamaica's Consul General to Miami, Oliver Mair, told Radio Jamaica News on Thursday morning that Jamaicans living in Florida were for the most part unscathed.
"The Jamaicans we spoke to in Tampa, St. Petersburg, in Tallahassee, Fort Myers, Port St. Lucie, and most of south Florida all seem to have been relatively okay. Persons, you know, had some damage to roofs, some flooding, light poles fell down in some areas," he disclosed.
While some 36 tornadoes were cited, Mr. Mair noted that there were no reports of Jamaicans who suffered that damage.
He said the majority of Jamaicans appear to have heeded the evacuation warnings, with many, including students, heading to South Florida, especially Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
For Ian Bryan, a Jamaican living in the sunshine state for more than 30 years, the experience of multiple tornadoes and the Category 3 storm was nothing short of intense.
"It felt like a train was going through the house. It started about maybe 11, and it went on till 4, 5 in the morning. And even when I got up at 6 o'clock this morning, the wind was still very intense."
Although the storm was intense, he said his damage was minimal, with just a few plants knocked over, while his home remained structurally intact.
Recounting Wednesday night's events, Mr. Bryan said as destructive as Milton was, another powerful Category 3 storm, Hurricane Gilbert, that hit while he was in Jamaica in 1988, remains the most devastating storm he has ever experienced.
"Gilbert was much more intense, because of course, the eye went directly overhead. But for what I felt last night, the outter bands of the storm... I would not have wanted to experience the full onslaught," he admitted.
Another Jamaican, Dwayne Williams, said he was not phased by the tornadoes and the hurricane.
"The way I look at it is like, it's a hurricane, but I just prepare myself and make sure everything is secure and make sure I am secure. You know, normally in Jamaica, we don't take it that serious, we're still outside when hurricane is moving," he recalled.
Florida residents are being warned not to visit areas hit by Hurricane Milton, after it brought tornadoes, floods, and storm surges to the state.
More than three million homes and businesses are without power, while Governor Ron DeSantis says more flooding is expected in coming days.
Four people were killed by tornadoes on the state's east coast in St. Lucie County.
In St. Petersburg, on the west coast, the water supply has been cut, a crane crashed into a newspaper building, and the roof of a Major League Baseball stadium was ripped off.
Milton is moving into the Atlantic, but many parts of the state are flooded, with some people being rescued by boat.
Boats and amphibious vehicles were used to rescue 135 elderly residents at an assisted living facility in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay police say they have rescued 15 people, including some children, from a local house after a tree crashed onto it overnight.
Pinellas county confirmed that access to the mainland and barrier islands has reopened - but officials are still urging residents to stay put.
Some 1,500 linesmen are being dispatched to the worst-affected areas across Florida to clear fallen trees and other dangerous debris, and repair and restore power lines.
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