Hurricane Milton hurled rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds at the U.S. coast Wednesday as time began to run out for residents to evacuate from the potentially catastrophic path the storm was carving toward Florida.   A car drives past a pile of debris from Hurricane Helene flooding, along a street that had already begun flooding from rain ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, in Gulfport, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) People board up a convenience store ahead of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 9, 2024, in Brandon, Fla. (Mike Stewart/AP) Robert Haight salvages what he can from his home after what appeared to be a tornado tore the roof off before Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Oct. 9, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. He said he had just had the roof replaced two years after Hurricane Ian had damaged it. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Salvador Gonzalez places plywood over the windows of a business before Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Oct. 9, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Logan Smith takes his dog Zak through some of the 283 registered pets in the evacuation shelter at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in New Port Richey, Fla. (Mike Carlson/AP) People get groceries in preparation for Hurricane Milton in Cape Coral, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. With time and options running out on Wednesday, some Florida residents who had not yet evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton addressed a consequential question at the last minute: Stay or go? (Paul Ratje/The New York Times) Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks through windy and rainy conditions on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 9, 2024. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) Connor Ferran, left, and his neighbor Leroy Roker survey what is left after what appeared to be a tornado tore the roof off of Ferran’s home before Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Oct. 9, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. He said he had just had the roof replaced two years after Hurricane Ian had damaged it. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Christian Burke stands at the door of his home, where he, his mother, and his aunt plan to ride out Hurricane Milton on the third floor overlooking overlooking Tampa Bay, in Gulfport, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2024. Burke, who said his engineer father built the concrete home to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, expects his raised ground floor to get up to 8 feet of water in Milton. A boat deposited by Hurricane Helene sits lodged in the bay front park outside his front door. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) A man holds his umbrella in downtown Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. Florida residents fled or just hunkered down in the final hours Oct. 9, 2024 before Milton pummels the state. (Giorgio Viera/Getty-AFP) Oscar Garcia, right, with his family stands outside his house after getting hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. (Chandan Khanna/Getty-AFP) Samantha Dubberly consoles her daughter Alexa Haight as medics takes her grandfather into care after he got injured by a reported tornado that hit his house in Fort Myers, Florida on Oct. 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. (Chandan Khanna/Getty-AFP) The Cantrell family arrives at O’Hare International Airport after evacuating their home near Miami ahead of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, 2024. They are headed to stay with family in Washington, Illinois. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) A jogger trots as rain falls ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Julio Cortez/AP) Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks through windy and rainy conditions on a deserted street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the approach of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Youths duck behind the Malecon seawall as they play in the surf brought by Hurricane Milton passing through the Gulf of Mexico, in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (Ramon Espinosa/AP) A person walks under light rain ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Julio Cortez/AP) A passenger sleeps at the Tampa International Airport, Oct. 8, 2024, in Tampa, Fla., after most flights were canceled due to the possible arrival of Hurricane Milton. (Chris O’Meara/AP)