This is the heart-stopping moment an inner city construction crane topples over as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida with terrifying wind speeds exceeding 100mph.
Shocking video shows the crane being pushed over by the ferocious gusts and then lying on the ground surrounded by debris in St Petersburg. The crane was at the site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building under construction that is being billed as one of the tallest buildings on the west coast of Florida. It was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.
St Petersburg Fire Rescue issued a statement saying the crane collapse and roof damage at Tropicana Field were among two critical reports it had received of damage after Hurricane Milton made landfall south of the city. According to one eyewitness, the crane fell on the Tampa Bay Times building. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The shocking moment the crane fell to the ground (
@X)
St Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch admitted earlier this week he was concerned how the tower cranes would be affected during Hurricane Milton. He said it takes specialised crews roughly a week of planning to remove and disassemble the cranes as they are fixed in place.
Although many staff were in touch with developers who are managing the cranes, due to how long it takes and the impending Hurricane Milton, it was not feasible to lower or secure the tower crane in advance of the hurricane.
Furthermore, despite the tower cranes being put into weathervane mode during the storm, it is only effective for wind speeds of around 100mph. Hurricane Milton has produced winds much stronger than this as it made landfall.
St Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch admitted earlier this week he was concerned how the tower cranes would be affected during Hurricane Milton (
@X)
The crane at the site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building under construction (
@X)
It comes as Hurricane Milton will continue to bring “devastating rains and damaging winds” across the central Florida peninsula throughout Thursday before exiting the state late in the day for the Atlantic Ocean, the National Weather Service says.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 miles per hour (165 km/hour) at 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service, and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of Florida’s western and eastern coastlines.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue issued a statement saying the crane collapse (
@X)Don’t Miss
-
Hurricane Milton: Tampa Bay Times office badly damaged as crane destroys multiple floors -
Man risks death as he plants Trump Flag on pier during Hurricane Milton - Eerie urban legend explains why one major city in Florida wasn’t directly hit by Hurricane Milton
- Hurricane Milton: Multiple dead and millions without power across Florida
The weather service said Boca Grande, Florida, could see a surge as high as 13 feet above ground if it hits at the same time as high tide The service also said tornadoes were possible through early Thursday morning over parts of central and eastern Florida.
Multiple tornadoes spawned by the storm caused major damage to several communities Wednesday evening before the hurricane made landfall.