PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gunmen invaded another town north of Haiti’s capital on Thursday, shooting at people and setting homes on fire, just a week after a massacre killed at least 115 people in the country’s central region. The number of casualties was not immediately known.
Residents in the coastal town of Arcahaie called radio stations pleading for help and asking that police come and save them.
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Relatives of people injured during armed gang attacks wait around at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People displaced by armed attacks receive food from a nongovernmental organization in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Exiles Junior, wounded by a bullet during armed gang attacks, sits up on a bed at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A cemetery worker prepares a grave days after a deadly gang attack on Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A relative cries during the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed during an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Doctors treat a man who was shot and wounded during armed gang attacks, at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Tcharlit Charles, wounded by a bullet during armed gang attacks, sits on a bed at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People cross a bridge in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, days after a deadly gang attack in the town. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Another town in Haiti comes under attack a week after gangs killed at least 115 people
Another town in Haiti comes under attack a week after gangs killed at least 115 people
Local Frantz Baptist shows bullet casings he collected from the streets near his home days after an armed gang attack on Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Lionel Lazarre, deputy police spokesman, told Radio Caraïbes that officers were on site and that authorities were taking several measures to strengthen their presence.
“The police heard the people of Arcahaie shouting for help,” he said.
Radio Télé Monopole reported that gunmen attacked the town before dawn, opening fire and wounding multiple people as they set fire to homes, especially those in the Vigner and Bercy communities.
Several radio stations reported that the attack was launched by the gang in the area of Canaan known as the Taliban. The gang has around 200 members and operates mostly in the northern part of the Port-au-Prince capital.
Arcahaie is located between Haiti's capital and the central town of Pont-Sondé, where another gang, Gran Grif, is accused of killing more than 115 people last Thursday.
While most of the gang violence is centered in Port-au-Prince — which is 80% controlled by gangs — it has spread north of the capital in recent years, especially the central Artibonite region.
Relatives of people injured during armed gang attacks wait around at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People displaced by armed attacks receive food from a nongovernmental organization in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Exiles Junior, wounded by a bullet during armed gang attacks, sits up on a bed at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A cemetery worker prepares a grave days after a deadly gang attack on Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
A relative cries during the funeral of Jean Louis Jeune Gracien, who was killed during an attack by armed gangs, in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Doctors treat a man who was shot and wounded during armed gang attacks, at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Tcharlit Charles, wounded by a bullet during armed gang attacks, sits on a bed at Saint Nicolas hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
People cross a bridge in Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, days after a deadly gang attack in the town. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Another town in Haiti comes under attack a week after gangs killed at least 115 people
Another town in Haiti comes under attack a week after gangs killed at least 115 people
Local Frantz Baptist shows bullet casings he collected from the streets near his home days after an armed gang attack on Pont-Sonde, Haiti, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, where it knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and whipped up a barrage of tornadoes. The storm caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit.
The system tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. 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 apparently did not materialize, though the storm dumped up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) of rain in some parts of the area, the governor said. The worst storm surge appeared to be in Sarasota County, where it was 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 meters) — lower than in the worst place during Helene.
“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said.
As dawn broke Thursday, officials repeated that the danger had not passed: Storm-surge warnings were posted for much of the east-central Florida coast and north into Georgia. Tropical storm warnings were in place along the coast into South Carolina. Officials in the hard-hit Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding.
“We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, said on Facebook.
The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 3.2 million homes and businesses without electricity, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
The fabric that serves as the roof of Tropicana Field — home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg — was ripped to shreds by fierce winds. It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside. Before the storm hit, first responders were moved from a staging area there.
Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm.
St. Petersburg residents could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service. Mayor Ken Welch had told residents to expect long power outages and the possible shutdown of the sewer system.
During a break in the storm, Tampa police rescued 15 people from a single-story home damaged by a fallen tree, authorities said.
Just inland from Tampa, the flooding in Plant City was “absolutely staggering,” according to City Manager Bill McDaniel. Emergency crews rescued 35 people overnight, said McDaniel, who estimated the city received 13.5 inches (34 cm) of rain.
"We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community for my entire life,” he said in a video posted online Thursday morning.
Before Milton even made landfall, it started unleashing tornadoes in southern Florida. One twister touched down in the lightly populated Everglades and crossed Interstate 75. Another apparent tornado hit in Fort Myers, snapping tree limbs and tearing a gas station’s canopy to shreds.
The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and at least four people killed in tornadoes, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said.
Before the hurricane arrived, about 125 homes were destroyed, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph (135 kph) and leaving the state near Cape Canaveral.
The storm slammed into a region still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the South. In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge could toss it around and compound any damage.
Officials had issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.
Jackie Curnick said she wrestled with her decision to stay at home in Sarasota, just north of where the storm made landfall. She and her husband started packing Monday to evacuate, but they struggled to find available hotel rooms, and the few they came by were too expensive.
With a 2-year-old son and a baby girl due Oct. 29, Curnick said there were too many unanswered questions if they got in the car and left: Where would they sleep? Would they be able to fill their gas tank? And could they even find a safe route out of the state?
“The thing is it’s so difficult to evacuate in a peninsula,” she said ahead of the storm. “In most other states, you can go in any direction to get out. In Florida, there are only so many roads that take you north or south."
Video taken during the storm showed howling winds and sheets of rain lashing their glass-enclosed swimming pool as their son and dog watched. Trees shook violently.
On Thursday morning, she reported that the family was without power but safe.
At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis described deployment of a wide range of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; over 50,000 utility workers from as far as California; and highway patrol cars with sirens to escort gasoline tankers to replenish supplies so people could fill up their tanks before evacuating.
Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders across 15 Florida counties with a total population of about 7.2 million people. In Orlando, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Sea World remained closed Thursday.
More than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of gas Wednesday night, according to GasBuddy, though DeSantis said the state’s overall supply was fine.
Officials warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, because first responders were not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.
In Charlotte Harbor, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, clouds swirled and winds gusted as Josh Parks packed his Kia sedan with clothes and other belongings Wednesday. Two weeks ago, Helene’s surge brought about 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water to the neighborhood, and its streets remain filled with waterlogged furniture, torn-out drywall and other debris.
Parks, an auto technician, planned to flee to his daughter’s home inland and said his roommate already left.
“I told her to pack like you aren’t coming back,” he said.
Associated Press journalists Holly Ramer in New Hampshire; Joseph Frederick in West Bradenton, Florida; Curt Anderson in Tampa; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale; Brenden Farrington in Tallahassee; Michael Goldberg in Minneapolis; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Cattle graze near a greenhouse damaged by Hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Odessa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Women look at an uprooted tree the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Odessa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A construction crane fell over into an office building that houses the Tampa Bay Times headquarters, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Tampa Bay Times via AP)
An aerial view of Tropicana Field's shredded roof in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., in the wake of Hurricane Milton early Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
An aerial view of Tropicana Field's shredded roof in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., in the wake of Hurricane Milton early Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A car sits in high water in front of a home in the aftermath of hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A car sits in high water in front of a home in the aftermath of hurricane Milton, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, walks over bricks near a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, as Hurricane Milton's strong winds tore through the area. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Drone images above Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, show the shredded roof of the dome and the cots on the field, set up for first responders, among the debris, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Chris Nation, of Commerce, Ga., climbs a tree and gestures while hanging out with coworkers outside the hotel where they are riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Nation, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A downed tree lies across a road after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in downtwon Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A downed tree lies across a road after the passage of Hurricane Milton, in downtown Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The Ponce De Leon Hotel sign fell to the ground after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in St Petersburg. (Lauren Peace/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, walks over bricks near a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, as Hurricane Milton's strong winds tore through the area. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A group is silhouetted against a fallen crane along 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, as Hurricane Milton's strong winds tore through the area. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A crane is seen across 1st Avenue South near the Tampa Bay Times offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, as Hurricane Milton's strong winds tore through the area. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A car drives past a pile of debris from Hurricane Helene flooding, along a street that had already begun flooding from rain ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A tow truck responds following a traffic accident between a car and a fire truck returning from a call, on near-deserted streets in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Mark Sapanara, of Pinellas, Fla., walks with his daughter's dog Frankie in the lobby of the hotel where he is taking shelter during Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A few of the 283 registered animals, birds and reptiles line a hallway in the evacuation shelter at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
The city of Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., is seen from Surfside, Fla., as the outer bands of Hurricane Milton kick up the sand, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Neighboring homes, a pile of debris and a garage damaged in Hurricane Helene, are seen from the third-floor of the home where Christian Burke, his mother and aunt will ride out Hurricane Milton, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Burke, who said his engineer father built the concrete home to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, expects his raised ground floor to flood severely, but for the building to remain standing. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Melvin Lee Hicks, who is homeless, lies under a sheet donated by a nearby hotel, as he shelters alongside a parking garage in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Melvin Lee HIcks, who is homeless, wears a trash bag to protect against wind-driven rain, as he stands on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A homeless person sleeps under a wheelchair alongside a parking garage in deserted downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A view of some of the 700 evacuees in the gymnasium in shelter at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Christian Burke stands on the third floor of his home, where he, his mother, and his aunt plan to ride out Hurricane Milton with views through hurricane proof glass over Tampa Bay, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Burke, who said his engineer father built the concrete home to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, expects his home to turn into an island, with up to 8 feet of water filling the raised first floor. Behind Burke, a window reflects a boat deposited by Hurricane Helene in the bay front park across the street. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A man walking his dogs takes a picture from the sheltered entryway of the Hyatt Place Downtown Tampa hotel, as strong gusts of wind from Hurricane Milton blow sheets of rain along the street in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo Rebecca Blackwell)
Rain begins to fall ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 11:46 a.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (NOAA via AP)
Chris Nation, of Commerce, Ga., skids on puddles in the parking lot of the hotel where he's riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Nation, who works for a towing company, was deployed to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A boat damaged in Hurricane Helene rests against a bridge ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, in South Pasadena, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
A Lee County Sheriff's officer patrols the streets of Cape Coral, Fla., as heavy rain falls ahead of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
The Segundo family, who evacuated from nearby Davis Island, plays a board game with their dog Cassie looking on, as Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, at Hyatt Place Tampa Downtown hotel in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks through windy and rainy conditions on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Wind-driven rain soaks a street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the passage of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with coworkers, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Watts, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The roof of Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to be badly damaged as Hurricane Milton passes Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Christian Burke stands at the door of his home, where he, his mother, and his aunt plan to ride out Hurricane Milton on the third floor overlooking overlooking Tampa Bay, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Burke, who said his engineer father built the concrete home to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, expects his raised ground floor to get up to 8 feet of water in Milton. A boat deposited by Hurricane Helene sits lodged in the bay front park outside his front door. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
More than 2 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding
More than 2 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding
