Hurricane Milton makes landfall on Florida`s west coast

An expanding Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast on Wednesday, spawning tornados and lashing the region with rain as it threatened the Tampa Bay area, where it could deliver a life-threatening surge of seawater.

In a state already battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, as many as two million people were ordered to evacuate, and millions more live in the projected path of the storm, reports Reuters.

Officials issued increasingly dire warnings on Wednesday as landfall, expected on Wednesday evening, drew closer.

President Joe Biden urged people to follow local safety recommendations.

"It's literally a matter of life and death," Biden said at White House briefing.

Much of the southern U.S. experienced the deadly force of Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago as it cut a swath of devastation through Florida and several other states. Both storms are expected cause untold billions of dollars in damage.

Most hurricane fatalities occur when trees fall on people in the street, in their cars or in their homes, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Others die from post-storm accidents like setting their houses on fire using candles, igniting leaked gas with flashlights and asphyxiating from carbon monoxide produced by generators. People die of heart attacks and other medical issues after storms, as well as in accidents while using chainsaws to clear downed trees, NHC Director Michael Brennan said._Agencies.