WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - At least 16 people were killed as Milton ripped through Florida as a Category 3 hurricane before weakening and moving offshore.
State Governor Ron DeSantis said he fears that the death toll could rise.
More than two million businesses and homes in Florida are still in blackout caused by heavy rainfall, which produced more than 18 inches in Pinellas County, and winds, which blew as strong as 100 mph.
First responders have rescued thousands of people from floods while urban search and rescue teams are combing through every home.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport announced that it will remain closed Friday due to Hurricane Milton.
Tampa International Airport is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Friday, CNN reports.
The Coast Guard announced that eight commercial ports were safely reopened Thursday. They are Key West, Port Everglades, Port Miami and the Miami River in Florida; Brunswick and Savannah in Georgia; and Charleston and Georgetown in South Carolina.
Operation to clean-up debris left by the wind and flooding could take several weeks, reports said.
Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the Gulf coast of Florida Wednesday night, has weakened into a post-tropical cyclone and its center moved to the Atlantic Ocean after wreaking havoc across the peninsula.
Moderate to heavy showers with the odd thunderstorm are forecast across eastern and southern Florida on Friday.
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