NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 10, 2024

Episode Date: October 11, 2024

Wide destruction after Hurricane Milton pounds Florida; Dozens of reported tornadoes sweep across Florida; FEMA stretched thin by hurricanes, other disasters; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the rising death toll here in Florida after Hurricane Milton left a path of destruction and left millions without power tonight. The monster hurricane roaring ashore on Florida's west coast as a major Category 3 storm and unleashing a deadly tornado outbreak. At least 12 killed, more than 3 million homes and businesses without power. The new images of devastation, homes destroyed, neighborhoods underwater, boats tossed onto land, the roof of Tropicana Field with a Tampa Bay Rays play shredded by the wind, and a massive construction crane collapsing onto the street. Also, the dramatic water rescue still playing out. First responders using boats to reach families trapped in their homes. A man clinging to a cooler 30 miles out to sea, rescued by a Coast Guard chopper. The harrowing stories of survival.

The man speaking out from his hospital bed after a tornado flipped over his truck. FEMA saying more than a thousand staffers are on the ground. But after a year of relentless disasters, how thin is FEMA stretched? Our full team coverage in the storm zone tonight. Plus, President Biden once again tearing into former President Trump for spreading storm misinformation, telling him to, quote, get a life as Kamala Harris gets some high-powered help on the campaign trail. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, live from the site of Hurricane Milton's landfall in Siesta Key, Florida. Good evening from Siesta Key, the impact point for Hurricane Milton, where last night the much feared storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

At the time, it was spinning winds of about 120 miles per hour as it hit the west coast of the state. As of tonight, it was attributed at least a dozen deaths to the storm, which raced across and away from the Florida peninsula earlier today, leaving behind a patchwork of damage outcomes from good fortune to tragedy. People waking up this morning in St. Petersburg, the images of the torn roof off Tropicana Field and a construction crane toppled into an office building by the high winds on Florida's Gulf Coast. Officials say the storm surge was surprisingly less than feared while Barrier Island, Minnesota and Grove City

remain inaccessible after suffering significant damage as seen in these drone images. Tonight, millions are without power, with many still inundated by flooding. Tonight, this is Hurricane Milton's path of destruction. In hard-hit Minnesota Key, homes ripped apart and pushed off their foundations. Debris everywhere. The damage along Florida's already battered Gulf Coast extensive, but not nearly as catastrophic as originally feared. The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario. At least 12 people are dead. Millions of homes and businesses are without

power on Florida's east coast. The string of deadly tornadoes flattened buildings. Walked outside and annihilated. The neighborhood annihilated. In St. Petersburg, Milton's ferocious winds caused this crane to collapse, crashing into an office building. At Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, the massive fabric roof ripped off, now in tatters on the field. It had been used as a base camp for responders pre-storm. About 14 people were inside at the time. All are safe. The storm tossed boats on their sides and trees crashed through homes.

We heard a screeching noise and they came outside and seemed to branch in the front yard. Category 3 Milton made landfall last night near Sarasota, dumping 18 inches of rain in some places and packing 100-mile-an-hour winds, ripping roofs from homes. And there it goes. Sending debris flying through the air. Causing transformers to explode. Whoa, whoa.

And fires to break out. Storm surge pushed water through neighborhoods. In Tampa, police rescued 15 people from a single-story home, including several children. It's okay, Bubba. It's okay. Hundreds more rescues today, including this 14-year-old found floating on debris. A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescuing this man whose boat was disabled in the water clinging to a cooler. NBC's Chase Kane is in Daytona Beach.

The Volusia County Sheriff has a marine unit for exactly this kind of thing, using airboats to evacuate people to safety because the rain fell so quickly and more than 15 inches, it cut off entire communities, trapping people in their homes. Today I met up with the fire chief of Sarasota County. We traveled to Siesta Key, the barrier island where Milton made landfall. I was with him as he returned on the ground for the first time since the storm. As we drove onto the island, we found downed trees and flooded streets. Have you seen a lot of flooding like what we're looking at here?

Yes, and as you go further and further north onto barrier islands, because it's a little lower down there, the water depth is a little worse. The chief breathed a sigh of relief. Siesta Key was largely spared. We just drove through these flooded neighborhoods and trees down. Were you anticipating it would be worse than that? We were. By the grace of God, the predictions and what we had planned for did not come to fruition. But obviously, if you are a resident or business owner out here, I don't want to minimize it. This is very impactful to the community, but it could have been much, much, much worse.

Lucky is not to be confused with untouched. This is Siesta Key, where the eye of the storm first came ashore. Many of the homes in this community are totally surrounded by water hours after the storm's landfall. Tonight, Milton has left the Gulf Coast behind, but many are just beginning the difficult work of cleaning up after a major storm for the second time in less than two weeks. Those dozens of reported tornadoes spawned by Milton are likely to define this hurricane as much as anything, and tonight we're getting a better picture of the destruction. Tom Yamas is on Fort Pierce. Tom, the aftermath here is horrific. Lester, that's right. One of those tornadoes tore right through this home behind me,

destroying the entire structure. The homeowners were inside at the time. They looked outside and noticed something strange. And suddenly they ran inside, went into the bathroom. They survived that tornado ripping off the roof of their home and destroying it. But others, unfortunately, weren't so lucky, this tornado outbreak killing several people. This is the terrifying moment a massive tornado ripped through Fort Pierce. Look at the debris spinning into the air. Oh, violent tornado. And this video capturing a twister in Palm Beach Gardens.

Look at how quickly and violently it envelops this house, sending debris flying and blowing out the windows. Both tornadoes part of a deadly outbreak spawned by Hurricane Milton. We are very, very saddened to see a tornado inflict such serious damage, including loss of life. According to initial reports, at least 38 tornadoes touched down. The twisters flipping semi-trucks, tearing down trees, and reducing homes to piles of rubble. This wind came through here. If Michael had not grabbed that door and closed it, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here. In St. Lucie County on Florida's east coast, a tornado tore through a retirement community, killing at least six people, including Debbie Kennedy, her daughter telling us she was an incredible mother and caregiver. This is a 100% rescue mission.

Today, Sheriff Keith Pearson telling us they are still searching for survivors. Just a complete devastation. I mean, cars, trailers, where there were homes, they weren't. They were lifted up, they were moved, they were crumbled. Those that survived look like this. Boris Melbov can't believe he's alive. The truck started to roll over and and it stopped, and then once again. He's covered in stitches all over his arms and up his face. He says he never saw the tornado until his truck started flipping.

Leaves started to fly. Something hit the truck. Pretty powerful to roll over your truck, right? Yeah. You'll never forget that, huh? No. HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital took in 15 patients with tornado-related injuries, some with broken bones, others that needed brain surgery.

What did the patients tell you? Were they taken completely by surprise? They were, and it was like they themselves, they didn't know what happened. Most of them, they just felt like a lot of wind hit the place. And all of a sudden, something catastrophic happened for them. This was an incredibly traumatic situation. It is. It is.

Now, Governor DeSantis has provided search and rescue teams for this community. But the sheriff tells me it's unclear how many people they lost because some of the folks that lived in that retirement community lived there part-time. Others may have evacuated. Lester. All right, Tom Yamas, thanks very much. We've talked so much about storm surge, but a lot of the flooding you've seen in those high water rescues were the result of rain. Lots of rain that fell here when that storm came ashore we get more now from stephanie gosk in tampa lester they are actually tonight still doing rescues as we speak in this neighborhood this is not part of the evacuation zone people thought they were safe because they're miles from the coast what they didn't expect was all that rain in central Florida, a race to pull people out of the water, not from a dangerous storm surge, but from Milton's torrential rains. This woman escaping the rising waters in

the dark, her four young children in tow. Once we hopped on the oven, I called my mom and told my mom, I think me and my children are about to drown to death. Many of the neighborhoods underwater are miles from the coast and not typically flood prone. How long did you live down there? I lived there 14 years. Did you ever see it flood? No ma'am, nothing like that. The county fire rescue in Tampa says it conducted 500 rescues. 135 people were pulled from a single assisted living facility.

Please be careful. If you feel better, go on the dry ground. We can take you there. Amphibious vehicles and marine units helped reach inundated homes. Rescue workers got here around 3.30 in the morning. Soon afterwards, they found this woman in the green sweatshirt alone in her house. She has a hard time seeing. The front door to her house was broken, and they couldn't convince her to come out. She has a hard time seeing the front door to her house was broken and they couldn't convince her to come out. She was scared. They finally, this afternoon at one o'clock, got her out and got her to safety. Milton's heaviest rain dropped over its northern edge, in some places

falling more than two inches in an hour, with historic totals. Leaving residents in this apartment building in Pinellas trapped. Hundreds had to be rescued. A lot of credit to our teams that were out there today. Even with all that warning, the strength of Hurricane Milton still took many here by surprise. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News, Tampa. And many here in the barrier islands in this area face a lot of damage as the winds came in here and some of that storm surge. Sam Brock now with that part of the story. In southwest Florida tonight, full-scale devastation.

My daughter, man, she just started screaming through the house, you know, and I jumped up. And when I ran out, the same time I ran out, the door come flying to meet me, man. And heartache along the beach. A multi-year rebuild stunted again by a hurricane. It's heart-wrenching to have to keep going through this. But in all honesty, like all of our friends are here on this block. I think we all give each other the strength to continue. On the streets of Fort Myers Beach, evacuated for days, Mayor Dan Allers showing us what it looks like this morning. Storm surge saturating the same neighborhoods devastated two years ago by Hurricane Ian.

We're an island of doers. You know, these things punch you in the gut, but you just pick up. We've had some residents that this is the fourth time they'll be rebuilding their house. This is an example of one of the homes rebuilt after Hurricane Ian. And while it might not look that bad, you have to consider it was sitting on a 12-foot pylon and came all the way down off its foundation. Barrier Islands up and down Florida's coast, often the most vulnerable to violent winds and surging waters. Many still inaccessible, but authorities have shared pictures of buckled roads on Captiva Island and homes burning on Matlachet, an archipelago of paradise, all evacuated. They left, they listened, and now we'll hopefully within a day or day and a half,

two days at the most, be able to get them back into their homes where they can start rebuilding again. Sam Brock, NBC News, Fort Myers Beach, Florida. FEMA says there are more than 1, thousand federal personnel on the ground here, but there are growing questions about whether the agency can handle the growing cost of all these back-to-back disasters. And as they deal with the relentless disasters, there is new questions about staffing. Let's get more now from Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, FEMA is stretched thin, the agency blowing through nearly half of its money for the next year in just eight days. How concerning is that?

It is very concerning, but let me be clear. We can meet the immediate needs. A lot of storm surge. It is rough. Very rough. FEMA's responding not only to Hurricanes Milton and Helene. To get FEMA to reimburse you for your damage, you have to have documentation. But also flooding in Vermont, tornadoes in Kansas, and more than 500 other open disasters dating back years. Just eight percent of its highly trained workforce is listed as available. What worries me most about the staffing levels is just

with so many disasters having at the same time that they're going to run out of people. Meanwhile, President Biden tonight with this message to former President Trump about storm misinformation. Former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people. The former president today in Battleground, Michigan, slamming Vice President Harris' record on the cost of living. The economy has been a total disaster, but Kamala says that she can't think of one thing that she would do differently. Tonight, Harris' team is having former President Obama campaign for them in critical Pennsylvania, fresh off his convention speech.

America's ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris. As for the storm response, President Biden says FEMA has enough money for now, but he's pleading with Congress to set aside more for small business disaster loans. Lester. All right, Gabe Gutierrez tonight. Thank you. In 60 seconds, a devastating ripple effect of Hurricane Helene. Why hospitals right now are having to postpone some procedures because of a serious shortage of a key supply. The impact from this deadly series of hurricanes is now spreading far beyond the southeast. Hospitals nationwide are scrambling for a vital resource that's produced right in the storm's path. We get more now from Maggie Vespa.

Tonight, devastating ripple effects after flood damage from Hurricane Helene halted production at this North Carolina plant owned by Baxter International, which makes 60 percent of the nation's IV fluid. And this week, B. Braun Medical, a second producer, briefly pausing work at two Florida facilities ahead of Hurricane Milton. IV fluid critical to everything from treating dehydration to surgical procedures was already in short supply. Now the situation's even worse with hospitals forced to postpone non-emergency procedures. We are only receiving about 40 percent of what we normally receive.

Dr. Paul Bittinger is the chief preparedness officer at Mass General Brigham. We've been messaging to our nurses, to our physicians. We want people to find alternatives or to eliminate waste. The American Hospital Association urging President Biden to declare a nationwide emergency, writing patients across America are already feeling this impact. In suburban Chicago, Robert, a 67-year-old mathematician and grandfather with kidney disease, just learned fluid needed for his dialysis is suddenly unavailable. His doctors scrambled to find an alternative.

I know if I don't get dialysis every day, every other day, I'm not going to make it. It's an immediate need. It's an immediate need. Tonight, Baxter International says it's working to repair the North Carolina plant while increasing production at other sites globally. The company hoping to resume full production levels by the end of the year. Maggie Vespa, NBC News. Up next for us how some of the biggest names in sports are coming together for a timeout against hate. We'll be right back. There is breaking news tonight out of Colorado. An urgent rescue mission underway at a gold mine turned tourist attraction after an elevator malfunctioned. Authorities say at least one

person is dead and 12 remain stranded at the bottom. Eleven others have been rescued. The matriarch of one of America's most famous political families has passed away. Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, died after complications from a stroke, her family said. After RFK was assassinated in 1968, Mrs. Kennedy never remarried, channeling her grief into human rights advocacy and raising the couple's 11 children. She was 96. Also tonight, the major team-up bringing together the biggest sports leagues in the country. Craig Melvin with our report of their new campaign to combat hate in America.

It's a new ad campaign featuring some of sports' biggest stars trying to stem the growing tide of intolerance in America. Hate is winning out there. Not on these fields. In our communities. On our streets. In our schools. And we need to stop it.

So let's take this moment. To change the momentum. And call a timeout. On hate. The idea uniting eight major sports leagues. They're commissioners brought together by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Why do people call a timeout? They call it because they have to regroup.

Something bad is going on that has to be corrected or fixed. And that was our thinking here. Fans will see the ad campaign across league broadcasts, in stadiums, and online through the end of the year. This is the most important timeout I've ever called. The hope. As sports brings fans together behind a team, this campaign unites Americans against hate.

Any one person can stand up to hate and identify and name it and tell them to stop because this isn't what we stand for. When folks watch this timeout ad, what do you hope they take away from it? I hope people will stop and just think for a moment and think about other people's perspectives and try to understand one another as opposed to hate. Powerful platforms coming together with a common purpose. Craig Melvin, NBC News, New York.

When we come back, it was just 13 short days between Helene and Milton. I'll have some reflections on the toll it has brought here when we see you back in a few moments. Finally tonight, it has already been a brutal hurricane season by any measure. Milton grew in strength like few other storms before it, spotting nearly 40 tornadoes and the most tornado warnings in Florida history. The financial and human toll immense. While the names may change, Ian, Helene, Milton, the feeling remains the same. Exasperation at how to start again, how to put one foot in front of the other.

It can shake your faith as we seek to make sense of these darkest moments while consumed by what we cannot control. Something to think about as we finish this day and as we watch the days ahead here in Florida. I'm Lester Holt. Thank you for watching. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.