No Filipinos reported hurt amid Hurricane Milton landfall in Florida —PH Embassy

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC on Friday said no Filipinos were reported hurt after Hurricane Milton made landfall over Florida.

“Sa ngayon naman po, wala pa po kaming natatanggap na ulat na mga Pilipino na mga kababayan natin na nasaktan o nasawi dahil sa hagupit ng Hurricane Milton,” Consul General Donna Rodriguez told Unang Balita in an interview.

(Right now, we have not received any reports of Filipinos who are hurt or killed due to the impact of Hurricane Milton.)

The embassy and the local government had advised residents to evacuate from their homes due to the threat of Milton. The hurricane was projected to cross the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas.

There are around 178,000 Filipinos in Florida. Of the total Filipino population, 34,000 are in Tampa Bay and 23,000 are in Orlando.

Rodriguez said the embassy has been coordinating with the heads of Filipino communities in Florida.

Power outages are still reported and evacuation orders are still implemented in some areas, according to Rodriguez.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC will provide assistance to the affected Filipinos upon their requests as the local government is expected to provide them the aid, Rodriguez said.

Reuters reported that at least 10 people were killed while millions experienced power outages after the onslaught of Milton in Florida.

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a White House briefing that the 10 deaths were possibly due to tornados. 

More than 3.2 million homes and businesses were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

Governor Ron DeSantis said the state had avoided the "worst-case scenario," though he cautioned the damage was still significant and flooding remained a concern. —KBK, GMA Integrated News