What to know as Florida residents begin cleaning up after Hurricane Milton

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A small bridge over a creek washed out during Hurricane Milton, blocking the only access point into a community in Riverview, Florida. (AP video: Julio Cortez)

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As the rescue operation continues in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Milton, dozens of animals, including a pig who has affectionately been named Millie have been saved. (AP Video shot by Chris O’Meara)

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Gov. Ron DeSantis warns people to not let down their guard and to be aware of hazards as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton

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Crews worked Friday to clean up the destruction from Hurricane Milton in Clearwater Beach, Florida. (AP video: Haven Daley)

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Timelapse footage showed a swimming pool at a Florida resort flood as Hurricane Milton swept across the state’s west coast. Footage from the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina on Wednesday showed the pool churn, while palm trees were blown around in the background.

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Florida apartment residents returned to an uncertain future after Hurricane Milton smashed through coastal communities

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Florida residents and government officials are repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Milton and cleaning up debris. Tampa officials say restoring electricity to everyone could take longer than normal due to heavy rainfall and a saturated ground.

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A Spring Oaks resident checks out the rising floodwaters from the Little Wekiva River on Spring Oaks Blvd. in his neighborhood in Altamonte Springs, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Central Florida rivers are forecast to crest in the coming days because of the excessive rainfall from Hurricane Milton. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

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Several feet of sand fills a condo following the passage of Hurricane Milton, at YCA Vacation Rentals in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Residents wait to get access back into the apartment complex which was flooded by Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Members of The Farmer’s Friend rescue a pig from floodwaters caused by Hurricane Milton Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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A linesman contractor for Duke Energy works on power lines along Forest City Road in Orlando. Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. As of Friday morning, 2.2 million Floridians were reported to still be without power. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

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Kaylee Swanson, left, and Connor Hughes walk through floodwaters from the Alafia river caused by Hurricane Milton Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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A truck from the Florida National Guard goes out to help residents trapped in their homes as waters rise after Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 12, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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A member of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office goes out to help residents trapped in their homes as waters rise after Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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Several feet of displaced sand fills a condo following the passage of Hurricane Milton, at YCA Vacation Rentals in Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Del Ockey, a seasonal Florida resident from Canada, walks near the damaged bridge that leads onto his property during Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Riverview, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Amy Bishop is evacuated from her home by Pasco County Fire and Rescue and Sheriff’s Office teams as waters rise in her neighborhood after Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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This image taken from Deland Police bodycam shows DeLand police and fire crews conduct water rescues after Hurricane Milton on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in DeLand, Fla. (City of DeLand, Fla., via AP)

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Sand swept by Hurricane Milton reaches half-way up the sliding doors of a beachfront villa, next to a pool deck where the 8 1/2 foot deep pool had disappeared under sand, at Jetty Villas on the island of Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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A USPS worker inspects trucks that had been relocated to protect them from wind but which are now underwater as intense rain from Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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Public work employees remove sand that was pushed to the streets by wind and storm surge from Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

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Public work employees remove sand from the roadways, that was pushed to the streets by Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

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Waters rise in Pasco County neighborhoods as intense rain from Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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Renel Prophet carries a chainsaw to get it repaired after it broke while cleaning out down trees in his property, which became unaccessible during Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Riverview, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Hurricane Milton damage is seen to the beachfront condominium community of Bahia Vista Gulf, on the island of Venice, Fla., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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A lifeguard hut is on its side after Hurricane Milton at Clearwater Beach, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

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A sink hole is visible on a road damaged by Hurricane Milton, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Riverview, Fla. The road is the only access point into a community. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Hillsborough County Master Deputy Robert Unger guides a boat through floodwaters from Hurricane Milton along the Alafia river Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleanup from Hurricane Milton was underway Friday as residents returned home after the storm barreled across Florida, spawning tornadoes, knocking out power to millions, damaging homes and leading to hundreds of rescues.

At least 10 people died in the storm, and there was significant damage in areas, but Milton wasn’t as bad as had been feared. Flooding from Milton’s heavy rains was still causing problems as rescues of people and animals stranded in rising waters continued.

Gov. Ron DeSantis warned people not to let down their guard and to be aware of hazards, including downed power lines and flooded areas.

The storm roared into Florida mid-week as some communities were still dealing with damage from devastating Hurricane Helene two weeks ago. President Joe Biden was set to visit areas impacted by Milton on Sunday.

Follow The Associated Press’ coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes.

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What happened after Milton hit Florida?

Milton came ashore Wednesday evening as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, a barrier island of white sand beaches on the Gulf Coast.

The storm made landfall about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of the Tampa Bay area, sparing the densely populated area a direct hit.

As the storm made its way across Florida to the Atlantic Ocean it downed power lines and trees and flooded some neighborhoods. Even before making landfall, it spawned deadly tornadoes.

In St. Petersburg, Milton toppled a crane working on a 46-story building and destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

On Friday night, the number of customers in Florida still without power had dropped to 1.9 million, according to poweroutage.us.

How did people die in the hurricane?

Officials were reporting at least 10 deaths as of Friday.

Six people were killed when a tornado hit the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village near Fort Pierce, on the Atlantic Coast, authorities said.

In Volusia County, a 79-year-old woman in Ormond Beach and a 54-year-old woman in Port Orange died after trees crashed into their homes, the sheriff’s office said.

In Tampa, police said the body of a woman in her 70s was found Thursday morning under a large tree branch.

Maintenance worker Bruce Kinsler, 68, was killed in Polk County as he tried to clear a tree that had fallen into a roadway, a county official said. Kinsler was struck by a truck driven by a county employee who was arriving to help.

How did climate change impact Milton?

Human-caused climate change gave a significant boost to Milton, intensifying the storm’s rainfall by 20% to 30% and strengthening its winds by about 10%, scientists said in a new flash study.

World Weather Attribution researchers said Friday that without climate change, a hurricane like Milton would make landfall as a weaker Category 2, which is not considered a “major” storm, instead of a Category 3.

Climate change also boosted Helene’s wind and rain. The two storms made an otherwise unusually quiet Atlantic hurricane season roar to life.

And, scientists warn, the season is far from over. So far five hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. — and the record is six.

Jeff Masters, meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections, said the record may be matched since tropical cyclone activity is expected to be above-average for the rest of October and November. The season officially ends Nov. 30.

What if I have plans to vacation in Florida?

Three major theme parks in the Orlando area — Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld — all closed as Milton approached but reopened Friday.

Airports that had ceased operations as the storm neared reopened as well. Orlando International Airport — the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked — had resumed full operations by Friday, as had Tampa International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.

What effect have hurricanes had on the presidential election?

The back-to-back hurricanes of Helene and then Milton have reshaped the U.S. presidential campaign, just weeks before the Nov. 5 election.

Both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump have been devoting part of their recent days to tackling questions about the storm recovery effort, and have seen their schedules jumbled.

After Helene, Trump and Harris separately went to Georgia and North Carolina, requiring campaign events elsewhere to be canceled. The hurricanes are also forcing basic questions about who as president would best respond to deadly natural disasters, a once-overlooked issue that has become an increasingly routine part of the job.