GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. as a major Category 3 hurricane. Preliminary reports are already yielding impressive rain totals and wind speeds with more likely to roll in throughout the day.
Reports of more than 2 feet of rainfall were recorded near the Tampa Bay area. The highest total came from St. Petersburg, where 17.24" of rain fell.
The eye of the storm, where the strongest winds are, passed through the Tampa Bay/Sarasota area. Peak winds exceeding 100 mph were reported there with the strongest winds recorded by a maritime station in front of Tampa Bay at 105 mph.
In addition to the heavy rain and damaging winds, the Sunshine State saw 126 tornado warnings, setting a record for the most in a single day for the state. There are 45 tornado reports to the Storm Prediction Center.
One Muskegon native, now living in Fort Myers, Florida, spoke with 13 ON YOUR SIDE ahead of the storm about her experience with hurricanes and what she did to prepare for Milton to make landfall.
“We have tons and tons of water and food, we're preparing that our power is going to go out tonight. It's very unlikely that it won't, and it'll probably be out for at least a few days,” Stephanie Kennert said Wednesday afternoon.
“We have a place that has hurricane grade windows, that has a lot stronger foundation. We're on the third floor. We're in a way further inland evacuation zone.”
The foresight and preparations Kennert made come from lessons learned during another destructive hurricane two years ago—Hurricane Ian.
“When we moved here, we knew nothing about hurricanes,” Kennert said. “I felt super unprepared during that storm. And even looking back, I feel like I made really stupid decisions. I didn't prepare my home properly, I didn't put my car in the right place. All those silly little things that you just don't think about.”
After living through Hurricane Ian in 2022, Kennert now knows the devastation major hurricanes can leave behind all too well.
“After this storm, I'm sure my life and thousands of other people's lives are going to be completely different.”
In times of crisis, Kennert said community support is critical.
“If you have the means to donate, there's going to be tons and tons of businesses that no longer exist. That's people's entire livelihoods. That's their jobs. They've worked for years to build local businesses and stuff, they're going to be completely wiped out.”
Multiple West Michigan groups have already begun efforts to provide relief for those affected by Hurricane Milton.