2024-10-11 04:20:04
Video shows high winds from Hurricane Milton tore a hole the size of a standard basketball court into a east coast Florida airport’s roof late Wednesday.
The storm made landfall near Siesta Key on state’s western coast as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds, the National Hurricane Center reported.
Earlier in the morning, as Milton traveled east, it left the Melbourne Orlando International Airport with a 30-by-40 foot hole in the roof, Greg Donovan, executive director of the airport, told Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The airport is about 25 miles south of Cape Canaveral in Brevard County.
Watch Milton tear hole in roof at Melbourne Orlando Airport
Damaged pieces fell in center of terminal
A large part of the airport’s ceiling came down about 2 a.m., Donovan said.
“We had a large section of our skylight, technically called a caul wall, come down in the center of the terminal,” Donovan said. The good news, he said, was that it “been really dry since that initial wave so we haven’t had a lot of water intrusion.”
The damaged pieces fell into the center of the terminal, which was closed to the public at the time.
Watch:Video shows mammoth 28-foot wave crash before Milton slams Florida
Airport was closed when Milton blew hole in airport roof
The airport was closed at the time, and no injuries were reported.
“We’re very grateful for our team and how well they responded to this situation,” Donovan said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Donovan said he was mobilizing crews to patch the roof and limit water damage.
Airport personnel had noticed that the section of the roof was compromised and cordoned the area before the damage.
Donovan estimated the cost of repairs in the ‘high tens of thousands” of dollars.
“We need the conditions to calm down a little bit to get that repaired,” Donovan said.
On Thursday, he said the airport planned to open on Friday.
Hurricane Milton aftermath in Florida
As of Thursday afternoon, at least seven people had died as a result of Milton, which flooded neighborhoods and destroyed homes and businesses across the state. Two deaths were confirmed in St. Petersburg, one in Volusia County, and four more were confirmed in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast following tornadoes there.
Millions also remain without power.
This article has been updated to add new information.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
