66-year-old woman among victims of Hurricane Milton

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Gray News) – Rescue teams pulled Florida residents from the flotsam of Hurricane Milton Thursday after the storm barreled through coastal communities.

The storm tore homes into pieces, filled streets with mud and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.

Officials were reporting at least eight deaths as of Thursday.

A woman has identified her 66-year-old mother as one of the deceased victims of the hurricane.

The daughter of Deborah Kennedy said the loss of her mother leaves a deep hole in the hearts of her children and grandkids.

Kennedy moved to Florida from New York in March and was living in Spanish Lakes Country Club, near Fort Pierce, on the Atlantic Coast.

Her family plans to bury her next to her husband in New York.

Authorities said five people were killed when a tornado hit in the Spanish Lakes area.

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.

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

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday afternoon that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing, with at least 340 people and 49 pets rescued so far.

Copyright 2024 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press and CNN Newsource contributed to this report.