Alligators are stalking homes in flood water after catastrophic Hurricane Milton barreled through Florida
By James Reynolds and Lauren Acton-Taylor
This is the shocking moment Florida residents caught in Hurricane Milton opened their car door to find an agitated alligator snapping at the tire.
Locals were left hysterical as their car became swamped in fast moving water and attacked by 'a big f**king alligator'.
Wildlife experts have warned that animals may be affected by the storms and driven into populated areas, left disoriented and more aggressive from the stress.
Hurricane Milton continues to buffet Florida after plowing into the state as a Category 3 storm last night, leaving millions evacuated or without power.
As residents reel from the impact overnight, experts say wild animals could still be displaced and finding their way into homes to shelter from the storm.
Residents have been urged to take extra caution with animals displaced by the floods
Hysterical residents filmed their encounter with an alligator during floods in Florida
Christopher Gillette, of the Bellowing Acres Sanctuary for alligators and exotic animals, warned locals to be wary of any wildlife hiding or taking shelter in areas they may usually not inhabit.
Alligators have inhabited Florida's marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for a long time and are found in all 67 counties.
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Gillette said in a video on Instagram: 'They just go in the water... through the hurricane these guys will be underwater.
'That's what they do in inclement weather like that - just sit at the bottom and wait it out.'
He explained that alligators can hold their breath for up to six hours at a time, and once the storm has passed, they will begin to resurface.
Severe weather conditions can often displace and disorient wildlife, due to high winds, and flooding can allow more access to unusual areas.
As areas flood, alligators may be seen much more frequently, the FWC suggests keeping your distance and treating them with respect.
If a person believes any alligator poses a threat to people, pets or property, call the FWC Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.
They have also suggested anyone avoid helping or rescuing wildlife during or after a storm if it would put them in danger.
During storms, snakes can also be carried by flooding waters or cause them to seek shelter in debris, homes, sheds or barns.
Gillette warned that snakes who are displaced can often blend in among the debris or be found washed up in unusual places. He told people to 'keep a sharp eye'.
Debris covers the ground near a crane that fell onto a building in St Petersburg overnight
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Debris covers the ground near a crane that fell onto a building in St Petersburg overnight
An overturned car in the Avenir neighborhood in Palm Beach Gardens amid Hurricane Milton
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An overturned car in the Avenir neighborhood in Palm Beach Gardens amid Hurricane Milton
Tornado damage in Fort Myers ahead of Milton's landfall
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Tornado damage in Fort Myers ahead of Milton's landfall
Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles south of Tampa.
The situation in the Tampa area was still a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida.
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Hurricane Milton batters Florida leaving trail of death and destruction in its wake
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Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in St. Petersburg, appeared badly damaged.
The fabric that serves as the domed stadium's roof was ripped to shreds by the fierce winds.
It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside. Multiple cranes were also toppled in the storm, the weather service said.
St. Petersburg residents also could no longer get water from their household taps because a water main break led the city to shut down service.
The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than three million homes and businesses without power as of early Thursday, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
Before Milton even made landfall, tornadoes were touching down across the state.
The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida's Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed.
'We have lost some life,' St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF News, though he wouldn't say how many people were killed.
About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane came ashore, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm.
By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 85 mph as it moved offshore and was about 35 miles east of Orlando.
Heavy rains were also likely to cause flooding inland along rivers and lakes as Milton traverses the Florida Peninsula as a hurricane, eventually to emerge in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. It is expected to impact the heavily populated Orlando area.
People watch water-flooded streets after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers
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People watch water-flooded streets after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers
A woman walks through downtown as Hurricane Milton makes landfall
A woman in a wheelchair makes her way along a downtown sidewalk in Tampa last night
Water-flooded streets are seen after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Fort Myers
The storm slammed into a region still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and left at least 230 people dead across the South.
In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton's winds and storm surge could toss it around and compound any damage.
Officials had issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.
'This is it, folks,' said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay.
'Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.'
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