Milton forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction.
At least 16 people have died from Hurricane Milton, which roared onshore on Florida's west coast as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing tornadoes, powerful winds and flooding rains. The monster storm forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction across Florida.
In Hillsborough County, which encompasses Tampa, responders captured the moment they rescued a 14-year-old boy who had been trapped and floating on debris after he was submerged in floodwaters.
Disney World said it’s preparing to reopen its theme parks, Disney Springs and "possibly other areas" on Friday.
"Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by this storm," Disney said in a statement.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
Over 11,000 people evacuated coastal Pinellas County, which encompasses Clearwater and St. Petersburg, ahead of Hurricane Milton, according to a county emergency management official.
"We appreciate the cooperation of the residents, especially those on the barrier islands, who evacuated and helped minimize the impact of the storm," Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
One of the most notable rescue operations in the county was at a Clearwater apartment complex, where rising waters threatened the lives of about 2,000 residents, officials said.
"We rescued approximately 430 people using high-water vehicles and boats," the sheriff said. "The water was so high that it reached the second-floor balconies of some apartments, but thankfully, many residents had moved to higher ground."
"Fortunately, there were no serious injuries reported," he said.
-ABC News’ Jason Volack
St. Petersburg resident Kristy Austin was horrified when Milton’s rains and 101 mph winds flooded her eighth-floor apartment.
"We thought the windows were going to blow and then cut us and might kill us," she told ABC News.
Austin said she took cover all night in the building’s stairwell.
“There was too much water coming in, and we just took blankets, and we took, we had emergency bags with our birth certificates. … And we just kept climbing up the staircase in the stairwell,” she said.
"The whistling of the storm, it was really scary," Austin said, describing it as "like a freight train."
-ABC News’ Jaclyn Lee
