THIS is the moment a deadly alligator leapt from Hurricane Milton’s floodwater and attacked a car – leaving the driver shocked.
Wildlife experts have warned about the deadly creatures being carried miles by rushing floodwaters just hours before the storm made landfall.
A North Fort Myers resident captured video of a gator appearing from the floodwaters during Hurricane Milton.[/caption]
The car driver opened the door of their car and the alligator can be seen biting the car’s tyre and side panels[/caption]
Another Lakeland resident had a surprise visit from a deadly gator that arrived right at their doorstep[/caption]
A tornado forming in southeast Florida hours before Hurricane Milton’s landfall[/caption]
Florida is being battered by “catastrophic” flooding and 120mph winds as the deadly hurricane rips through the state.
More than two million homes and businesses have been left without power.
And at least 125 homes have been destroyed after Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s grim warning houses would be turned into “coffins”.
Amid all the chaos, a deadly alligator was spotted attacking a car after being washed up because of the floodwater.
Horror footage captured by a motorist shows the beast emerging from the water and attacking his car in a driveway.
The gator can be seen biting the car’s tyre and side panels after the driver opens the door.
The shocked North Fort Myers resident can be heard saying: “Oh s*** that was a f****** big alligator!”
Another Lakeland resident had a surprise visit from a deadly gator that arrived right at their doorstep.
As Milton continues to wreak havoc across Florida, saltwater gators and other deadly reptiles can get washed up in areas packed with civilians.
Residents have been urged not to move through the flood waters – especially at night.
Christopher Gillette, who runs an animal sanctuary in Putnam County, northern Florida, issued a warning on his Instagram account about the deadly beasts.
Sharing pictures of his Bellowing Acres sanctuary being prepped for Hurricane Milton, Gillette urged Floridians to be vigilant
“There will be lots of disturbed animals on the move, they’re trying to survive the storm too,” he wrote.
Gillette warned that alligators pose a particular threat because they are able to hold their breath for up to six hours at a time.
In September 2020, an alligator was pictured swimming in an Alabama street in the wake of Hurricane Sally.
While in August 2021, urgent alligator warnings were issued during Storm Ida, as shock pics showed the beasts in people’s backyards and swimming through floodwaters in Louisiana.
It comes as the hurricane sparked 126 tornado warnings in Florida – the most ever in a single day.
Millions of terrified residents have fled the state after President Joe Biden warned Milton would be “one of the most destructive hurricanes of the century”.
It comes as…
- Hurricane Milton, with 120mph winds & 15-foot storm surge waves, made a direct hit on Florida
- Two large tornadoes were filmed crossing Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades at around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday
- Heartstopping moment fearless boffins are battered by Milton as they fly into the eye of the storm
- ‘Price-gouging’ hotels slammed for charging Hurricane Milton evacuees $600 per night.
- Publix was forced to alter store hours at 500 locations and close some shops entirely
- Watch the moment sick passengers are airlifted off a stranded cruise ship
- Dramatic footage caught the hurricane tearing an entire roof off Tampa Bay Ray Stadium
Two deaths have been confirmed by local officials in St Lucie County, with multiple others rushed to hospital after the hurricane spawned at least 19 powerful tornadoes.
But after days of warnings of apocalyptic-style devastation, the hurricane appears to be weaker than feared after twice making Category 5.
Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm, and around 90 minutes after making landfall was downgraded to Category 2.
Eerie videos circulating on social media showed dozens of abandoned communities, many of which are still in ruins from the onslaught of Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
In Gulfport, police drove slowly through a debris-riddled neighborhood, playing a recording on the loudspeaker informing residents of a mandatory evacuation, according to a video by reporter Brian Entin on X.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for 13 counties in Florida, including Sarasota, Hillsborough, and Volusia.
Aerial images showed Interstate 75’s northbound lane jam-packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic as hundreds of terrified residents fled their homes to seek shelter.
Meanwhile, dramatic footage showed the moment the devastating hurricane tore an entire roof off Tampa Bay Ray Stadium.
The stadium was being used as a shelter for first responders.
It’s understood no one was injured at the site – despite at least 13 people being at the site when the roof came off.
In the days leading up to the storm’s arrival, millions across west-central Florida stocked up their vehicles with essential items and personal belongings, driving north or south away from Milton’s intimidating path.
Debris covers the ground near a crane that fell onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg[/caption]
Storm surge forecasts are predicting 10 to 15 feet of water along with devastating waves driven by hurricane-force winds.
Shortly before the hurricane made landfall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged: “You have to shelter in place and just hunker down.”
He added: “Unfortunately there will be fatalities.
“I don’t think there’s any way around that.”
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane intensity while crossing Florida later on Thursday morning but after moving into the Atlantic it is likely to gradually lose tropical characteristics and slowly weaken.
In a state already battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, as many as two million people were ordered to evacuate, and millions more live in the projected path of the storm.
Much of the southern US experienced the deadly force of Hurricane Helene as it cut a swath of devastation through Florida and several other states.
Both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.
‘SIGNIFICANT COASTAL CHANGE’
Scientists at the US Geological Survey fear that Milton could completely change Florida’s west coastline forever.
“The significance of the coastal change forecast for Milton’s impact to the Florida west coast cannot be overstated as I believe communities are more vulnerable to this storm’s impacts due to the erosion that occurred recently from Helene,” Kara Doran, a USGS scientist, said.
“Our initial analysis looking at imagery collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after Helene shows most of the west coast experienced overwash or inundation and complete erosion of dunes, so those protective dunes are no longer in place for many locations.”
Experts predict Milton’s ferocious storm surge could cause 95% to 100% of Florida’s west coast beaches to experience erosion and overwash.
Overwash occurs when water levels reach higher than the top of the dunes.
When a beach is overwashed, sand can be pushed and deposited inland, causing significant changes to coastal landscapes and blocking roadways, according to the USGS.
Florida is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in late September, which has left over 220 people dead across the southeast United States.
What is a hurricane and how do they form?
A HURRICANE is another name for a tropical cyclone – a powerful storm that forms over warm ocean waters near the equator.
Those arising in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific are called hurricanes, while those in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are dubbed typhoons or cyclones.
North of the equator they spin anticlockwise because of the rotation of the Earth, however, they turn the opposite way in the southern hemisphere.
Cyclones are like giant weather engines fuelled by water vapor as it evaporates from the sea.
Warm, moist air rises away from the surface, creating a low-pressure system that sucks in air from surrounding areas – which in turn is warmed by the ocean.
As the vapour rises it cools and condenses into swirling bands of cumulonimbus storm clouds.
The system grows and spins faster, sucking in more air and feeding off the energy in seawater that has been warmed by the sun.
At the center, a calm “eye” of the storm is created where cooled air sinks towards the ultra-low pressure zone below, surrounded by spiraling winds of warm air rising.
The faster the wind, the lower the air pressure at the center, and the storm grows stronger and stronger.
Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they hit land as they are no longer fed by evaporation from the warm sea.
But they often move far inland – dumping vast amounts of rain and causing devastating wind damage – before the “fuel” runs out and the storm peters out.
Hurricanes can also cause storm surges when the low air pressure sucks the sea level higher than normal, swamping low-lying coasts.
A photo by astronaut Matthew Dominick shows Hurricane Milton from the International Space Station[/caption]
