Okeechobee County damage assessment teams were out Thursday morning (Oct. 10) checking on the damages from Hurricane Milton.

The worst damage was from tornadoes in the outer bands, explained Okeechobee Public Information Officer Denise Whitehead. “That’s where our debris removal focus is,” she explained.

The storm tore limbs from trees and downed power lines and left thousands of residents without power. As soon as it was safe for emergency workers to venture out, repairs began. By 10 a.m. Thursday all roads had at least one lane clear, Whitehead said.

“We expect to have some resources for the community coming in,” she said. “We pre-ordered a lot of things before the storm.”

Whitehead said the National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Okeechobee County, on US 98 and in Dixie Ranch Acres. More tornado sightings were reported by local residents.

A tornadic super cell in the outer band of Hurricane Milton spawned a record number of tornados across the state Wednesday afternoon. Whitehead said they had 116 tornado warnings in just a few hours.

“None of us had ever seen anything like that,” she said.

Tornadoes damaged or destroyed more than 30 homes, agricultural barns, and other structures. Two individuals, who were inside their home on US 98 when a tornado lifted it off the ground and dropped it in a nearby field, were hospitalized with serious injuries.

Whitehead said Okeechobee County sent mutual aid to Fort Pierce to help with search and rescue after tornadoes hit Spanish Lakes and Lakewood Park, where at least four people died.

In Okeechobee County, 11,520 homes and businesses lost power during the storm. At 10 a.m., 3,485 were still without power.

Okeechobee County opened three shelters during the hurricane and housed 361 people in general population shelters at South Elementary School and Osceola Middle School and 17 people at the Special Needs shelter at the Okeechobee County Health Department. By noon on Thursday, everyone had gone home and the shelters closed.

The clean up has already started. Whitehead said the county has a contractor who will pick up the hurricane debris. Residents should separate piles of tree limbs (which can be mulched) from metal, furniture, appliances and other household debris. She said the county will work to get the debris picked up as soon as possible in case another hurricane forms. Hurricane season runs through the end of November.

Whitehead said the Okeechobee County community took the storm very seriously and people prepared well.

While parts of the county received as much as 10 inches of rain the week before the storm, the county averaged around 2.5 inches of rain during Hurricane Milton.

Okeechobee Emergency Management advises that if your home has been damaged and is no longer safe:

-- Try to find family or friends that can take you in or try to secure a hotel room or short term rental.

-- Document everything - take photos of all damage and report that damage to https://crisistrack.juvare.com/.../okeechobeeFL/request.html

-- Apply for Individual Assistance with FEMA at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual

-- Request assistance from Red Cross at 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767)

Elsewhere around Lake Okeechobee, Hendry County had 437 people in Red Cross shelters during Hurricane Milton. Approximately 8,500 homes and businesses lost power during the storm. Areas where four tornadoes touched down suffered major damage.

Tornadoes were also sighted near Belle Glade. A Red Cross shelter at Lake Shore Middle School attracted 228 people.