Hurricane Milton aftermath: Incredible moment child on his own was rescued from deep water, as death toll rockets

Speaking at a White House briefing, Mayorkas said falsehoods are having a negative effect on survivors and hurting the morale of rescue workers.

He noted a particular falsehood that federal employees will take the land of the people they’re helping, meaning that some victims of the storms are reticent to receive aid.

Mayorkas said the government is 'seeing horrific hate speech of all types, propagated on online platforms' pertaining to people trying to help address the damage from the storm as it’s been 'a motivating force for people to do harm and it has got to stop.'

A woman was pictured in her North Fort Myers home on Thursday.

The entire roof of the house had been swiped away by the storm's winds overnight.

Below, Natasha Ducre surveys the kitchen of her devastated home, which lost most of its roof during the passage of Hurricane Milton, in Palmetto.

Fox weather reporter Robert Ray was knocked over by Hurricane Milton's winds as he reported live from Bradenton, Florida, as the storm struck the Gulf Coast.

'The tree fell on one of our vehicles,' Ray said.

'Thakfully this crew is okay.'

At one point Ray had to fall to his knees to keep the w

ind from lifting him from the ground.

Social media users were shocked that Ray remained outside as the storm's eye battered the Sarasota area.

A 14 year-old boy was rescued while floating on a piece of fence through Milton's floodwaters.

The unidentified youngster was picked up by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies outside a grocery store in Tampa on Thursday morning.

Incredible footaged showed two deputies approaching him on a boat while a third one filmed.

The boy could be seen struggling to stay afloat in water that appeared to be at least six feet deep.

On seeing the deputies, he came off the piece of fence and had to swim to keep his head above the water.

Two of the cops hoisted the child onto the boat. He did not say anything, but appeared confused and upset.

It is unclear why he was on his own and where his family was at the time.

The death toll for Milton so far stands at 11, but is set to rise far higher. Eleven million people are under a flood warning, with just under three million still without power.

The young boy can be seen floating in the deep water in a flooded grocery store parking lot in Tampa, Florida

The traumatized-looking youngster is hauled onto a boat by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies

Officials have reported at least 11 deaths throughout Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton, according to an NBC News count.

At least five deaths were caused by a tornado in St Lucie county, according to authorities.Pinellas county reported two deaths and Volucia county three.

One death was reported a after a tree fell on a car in Citrus County and killed the driver.

Meanwhile 12 million people are under flood alerts as the Gulf Coast deals with floodings and debris from tornados and high winds.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 3.4million Floridians remain without power.

The storm compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.

Damage was widespread, and water levels may continue to rise for days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not 'the worst-case scenario.

The deadly storm surge feared for Tampa never materialized, though the storm dumped up to 18 inches of rain in some areas, the governor said.

The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet — lower than in the worst place during Helene.

Stu Ostro, senior meteorologist at the Weather Channel, shared the eerie photo on X, displaying it next to a similar image of hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Florida troopers said a dog abandoned on the road in Tampa was taken to the vet and received a clean billof health.

An unidentified Florida Highway Patrolman rescued the dog on Wednesday as the area was staring to flood.

Former president Donald Trump sent a message to Floridians following Hurricane Milton's landfall Wednesday night.

Trump said he was 'deeply saddened by the devastation being reported.'

'it sounds like it's as bad as it gets,' he added, though Governor Ron DeSantis has said the storm was thankfully not the 'worst case scenario' expected.

Trump then pivoted to campaigning, saying 'hopefully on January 20th you're going to have somebody who's really going to help you like never before.'

While the storm was not as forceful as feared, tornados sparked by high winds brought devastation to several Floridian cities and towns.

Entire homes were pulled from the ground in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island, where locals were surveying the extent of the damage Thursday morning.

The island had already been severely affected by Hurricane Helene just a week prior.

Tampa police got 15 people including children to safety after a tree crashed into their home during Hurricane Milton.

Police received a 0911 call from the residents of the single-story home Wednesday night.

Officers who were taken shelter two miles away responded to the house during a break in the storm.

A policer officer in DeLand was driving amid the storm when a tree fell on a vehicle in front of him in a terrifying moment caught on dashcam.

The footage shows the tree's branches smashing most of the car's windshield on impact.

The police department sais the vehicle's driver was thankfully not injured, but it was a reminder for people to stay off the roads.

DeLand is about 34 miles from Orlando in central Florida, and a three-hour drive from Sarasota county, where Milton made landfall Wednesday night.

Officials are conducting dozens of rescues in Florida on Thursday following Hurrican Milton's landfall overnight.

Police rescued several people trapped in an apartment building in Clearwater Thursday morning, as seen below.

Meanwhile Tampa police rescued over 135 residents from an assisted living facility that had been affected by the storm surge.

However, the Tampa Bay area appeared to have escaped without the catastrophic flooding that had been feared.

A social media account for residents of the Peach State shared footage of all the Florida tags currently in town.

Georgia has been receiving Floridians who were forced to evacuate their homes ahead of Hurricane Milton.

The reporter, 57, was covering the catastrophic disaster live for CNN in Bradenton, just a few miles from Siesta Key, when he the piece of debris smacked him in the face.

He quickly recovered while shouting: 'Woah! That wasn’t good. We’ll probably go inside shortly.'

Flager County sheriff Tick Staly told sex offenders they woult not be allowed in shelters and directed them to stay in the local jaij for their protection during Hurricane Milton.

'Anyone who comes in [a shelter] will be checked to make sure they're not a fugitive, not a sex offender,' the sheriff said on Wednesday.

'We will accommodate you in the lobby of that [jail] building. You’ve probably seen it before,' Staly said about sex offenders who had to evacuate their homes.

However, Marion County took a different approach and set up a separate shelter for those on the sex offender registry.

Four people were killed by tornadoes that touched down in St. Lucie County, Florida, on Wednesday, local officials said.

St. Lucie County sits on Floria's east coast, with the killer twisters striking a retirement community.

Further details on the identities of those killed or how they died have yet to be shared.

Orlando's second main airport had a 30 by 40 foot hole ripped in its roof by Hurricane Milton.

Melbourne International Orlando airport saw part of its skylight ceiling collapse into the terminal building around 2am Thursday, FloridaToday reported.

Dramatic footage captured the moment the panels came tumbling onto the floor.

Melbourne was closed at the time, having halted commercial flights Wednesday morning in anticipation of Milton.

Bosses are planning urgent repair work and hope to have the airport reopened by 9am on Friday.

Melbourne International mainly serves domestic airlines flying to other east coast destinations.

Some flights from the UK do land there due to its proximity to the Port Canaveral cruise terminal.

The city's main airport - Orlando International Airport - is also closed and did not appear to sustain any major damage.

Its bosses have yet to announce a reopening date.

A woman walks along a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in Osprey, Florida.

The best way for people to stay safe, according to the FWC, is to stay alert and give wildlife their space. They have also suggested anyone avoid helping or rescuing wildlife during or after a storm if it would put them in danger.

Severe weather conditions can often displace and disorient wildlife, due to high winds, and flooding can allow more access to unusual areas.

Disorientation and stress caused by storms and hurricanes can often lead wildlife to act differently and potentially more aggressively than their typical nature.

The town of Matlacha and Pine Island were devastated by tornadoes brought by Hurricane Milton on Wednesday.

Officials say they responded to several structure failures after several tornados slammed through the coastal area.

Images from the scene showed debris and pieces of buildings thrown on the streets, with firefighters responding to a home on fire.

Police have told people to stay off the roads as multiple power lines and poles are down.

The devastation has left Matlacha cut off from the rest of the state and not accesible by car.

Matlacha is a fishing village with a population of about 500 near Cape Coral and Fort Mayers.

A Royal Caribbean passenger has vowed to never cruise again after a hellish voyage during Hurricane Milton.

Kim Eberhardt says the unfortunately-named Harmony of the Seas suffered 'turbulence and thrashing' as it sailed through the Gulf of Mexico towards Honduras and Costa Maya.

'It was just rocky. It was rough rocky.' Eberthardt told WVUE.

The cruise, which departed from Galveston in Texas on Sunday, canceled two of its planned stops.

Eberhardt says the vessel was 'swerving around in the water' while its captain tried to avoid the worst of Milton.

The Harmony of the Seas is now sailing towards calmer waters off the Mexican paradise isle of Cozumel ahead of its return to Galveston on Sunday.

Passengers have been offered future cruise credits to make up for the weather disruption - but Eberhardt doesn't want them.

'We have no desire. I just feel like at this point — I will fly somewhere,' she said.

Kim Eberhardt is pictured about her Royal Caribbean cruise from hell, which was severely disrupted by Hurricane Milton

Eberhardt says the cruise from Galveston in Texas around the Gulf of Mexico suffered very rough conditions as Milton blew in

An onboard map shows the awkward route the ship's captain had to take to avoid the worst of the weather