Hurricane Milton: Biden says ‘outright lies’ risk lives as Florida deals with aftermath of storm – as it happened

Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:

• Joe Biden closed his address about Hurricane Milton with a dig at Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who has spread lies and misinformation about federal disaster response. Asked if he had spoken to Trump, who has falsely claimed storm victims received only $750 in federal aid, and that disaster relief funds were redirected to migrants, Biden replied: “Are you kidding me?… Mr President Trump, former President Trump, get a life man. Help these people.”

• Tampa international airport has announced plans to reopen on Friday at 8am following a three-day suspension due to Hurricane Helene. In a notice released on Thursday, the airport said that it remains closed to the public while cleanup and repairs continue.

• The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hurricane Milton to a post-tropical cyclone on Thursday. The NHC warned that storm conditions and storm surges are still occurring over portions of the US’s southeastern coast.

• Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told the White House briefing that he understands that at least 10 people lost their lives as a result of tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton. The reported deaths occurred in St Lucie county, St Petersburg and Volusia county.

• Thirty-five people have been rescued from an assisted living facility in Tampa, Florida amid Hurricane Milton. In a video posted onto Facebook on Thursday morning, Hillsborough county’s sheriff, Chad Chronister, said that 135 people, including 107 elderly individuals, have been rescued via amphibious assets and marine units from the Great American Assisted Living Community.

• Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said as of 6am on Thursday, 635,996 accounts out of the 3m households without power have been restored. DeSantis added that more than 50,000 linemen are in Florida at the moment working to restore power and warned residents to be cautious of hazards such as downed power lines.

• Former football player Tom Brady has made a donation of $100,000 to help Floridians get essentials such as food, water and first aid following Hurricane Milton. In a statement on Thursday, Brady said: “Keep those impacted by these storms in your prayers, look out for your neighbors and continue to help out anyway you’re able. Stay safe and stay strong, Florida.”

Rescue shelters across the US have provided housing for animals that were evacuated before Hurricane Milton struck Florida.

The Guardian’s Erum Salam reports:

Hurricane Milton, the category 3 storm that battered many parts of Florida, displaced not only residents but also already vulnerable animals in shelters.

Shelters in the state, particularly in cities on the west coast such as Tampa, Sarasota and others, had to scramble to figure out where to relocate their animals ahead of this week’s storm. Luckily, rescue shelters in other parts of the country have joined in the effort to help those down south.

Sharon Hawa, an emergency services manager at Best Friends, a coalition of thousands of public and private shelters and rescue groups, said the need for animal adoptions and fostering is “critical” right now.

“We can make more space for more of these animals to come. Because we don’t know what the situation looks like right now on the ground, if any of the shelter facilities where these animals originated from are still standing and whether they’re going to be operational moving forward,” she said.

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Tampa international airport has announced plans to reopen on Friday at 8am following a three-day suspension due to Hurricane Helene.

In a notice released on Thursday, the airport said that it remains closed to the public while cleanup and repairs continue.

It added:

“Some encouraging findings during the assessments include:

• Roadways are clear and parking garages are open and in good shape

• The FAA reports the air traffic control tower is ready for full operations

• The City of Tampa confirmed the Airport is not experiencing wastewater issues

• The Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting station had no significant damage.

Among some challenges the Airport is currently addressing:

• TPA’s fuel depot lost power but is running on generator power while TECO is onsite assisting with permanent repairs.

• Six boarding bridges that move passengers from the Airsides to aircraft were damaged by high winds.

• Crews are still clearing debris across the campus and repairing leaks in parts of the Main Terminal and some gate hold areas.

• General Aviation fixed-base operator, Signature, has some significant structural damage, though no aircraft damage has been reported.”

Here are some images coming through the newswires from Florida, where residents across the state are reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton:

Former football player Tom Brady has made a donation of $100,000 to help Floridians get essentials such as food, water and first aid following Hurricane Milton.

In a statement on Thursday, Brady said: “Keep those impacted by these storms in your prayers, look out for your neighbors and continue to help out anyway you’re able. Stay safe and stay strong, Florida.”

The city of Clearwater, Florida has issued a guide to homeowners on how to organize the storm debris left outside their homes by Hurricane Milton.

According to the guide, residents should organize the debris into three piles at the curb: large appliances, construction debris and yard waste.

City officials in Pasco county, Florida announced that there will be two sandbag stations open 24/7 to protect low-lying properties from potential flooding.

The locations are Magnolia Valley Golf Course: 7223 Massachusetts Avenue as well as Pasco Public Works C-Barn: 30908 Warder Road.

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, is currently holding a press conference in Sarasota following Hurricane Milton.

Giving several warnings to residents, DeSantis said:

“Please remember, as you survey damage and you clean up, be cautious of any downed power lines. They can be deadly. Do not touch them, and stay away from any debris that may be tangled within the power lines…

Be careful when you use ladders. We always have injuries and sometimes even fatalities based on the use of ladders. We’ve got a lot of elderly residents. We have different groups that will be in Florida that will help you with some of these things, these charity groups, these church groups, they go in to help people with their homes and help clean up debris so utilize that. Don’t put yourself at risk…

If you operate a generator, do not operate your generator inside your home. It must be operated outside your home.”

Drone footage taken on Thursday morning shows the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in the city of Venice, Florida:

Joe Biden closed his address about Hurricane Milton with a dig at Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who has spread lies and misinformation about federal disaster response.

Asked if he had spoken to Trump, who has falsely claimed storm victims received only $750 in federal aid, and that disaster relief funds were redirected to migrants, Biden replied: “Are you kidding me?”

Walking from the podium, Biden addressed the former president directly:

Mr President Trump, former President Trump, get a life man. Help these people.

During his remarks, Biden again addressed the “outright lies” spread by a number of Republicans:

Those who engage in such lies are undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work. These lies are also harmful to those who most need help. Lives are on the line. People are in desperate situations. Have the decency to tell them the truth.

To all the people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, despite the misinformation and lies, the truth is we’re providing the resources needed to rescue, recover and rebuild.

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Joe Biden said he was certain that early warnings about the size and strength of Hurricane Milton, and evacuation orders that covered millions of people along Florida’s heavily populated Gulf coast, had saved lives:

It’s too early to know the full account of the damage, but we know lifesaving measures did make a difference. More than 80,000 people followed orders to safely shelter last night, and we’ve had search and rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning.

There’s still very dangerous conditions in the state. People should wait to be given all clear by their leaders before they go out. We know from previous hurricanes that it’s often the case the more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself.

He said he and Kamala Harris were in near constant contact with Fema’s director, Deanne Criswell, as well as the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, who has “provided a range of capabilities” to Florida and other states affected by Hurricane Helene”:

I know recovery and rebuilding projects can take a long and difficult time, but long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you, and you have to pick up the pieces still, I want you to know we’ll do everything in our power to help you to the pieces back together and get all that you need.