Hurricane Milton updates: 16 dead across Florida in storm's aftermath

Hurricane Milton brought powerful winds and tons of rain to St. Pete Beach, just outside of St. Petersburg, along Florida’s west coast.

Milton struck as the city was still littered with debris from Hurricane Helene, Mayor Adrian Petrila told ABC News Live.

He said National Guardsmen returned to St. Pete Beach Thursday morning after Milton rolled through to clear downed power lines and downed trees from major roads to allow access back to the island.

But "the biggest thing is gonna be getting all the small side streets cleared off," the mayor said. "That’s gonna take days, if not weeks, to get everything cleared."

2:15

Milton recovery will take ‘a very long time’: St. Pete Beach mayor“Most of our homes are uninhabitable,” St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila said.

ABCNews.com

Besides the debris, Petrila said, "Our sewer system is down, we don’t have potable water. At this point, most of the homes are not habitable," Petrila said.

"Florida is resilient," he added. "We’re going to rebuild, we’re going to come back."

There have been 1,600 people and 140 animals rescued across Florida during Hurricane Milton, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Clearwater Beach recorded over 23 inches of rain while St. Petersburg faced nearly 19 inches of rain.

As Floridians venture back outside, DeSantis urged, "Please exercise caution, don’t wade into floodwaters. Be careful how you’re using ladders. Use generators properly."

With the cleanup process underway, the governor said Florida is not facing as much debris as he anticipated before landfall.

"We did not get the worst-case scenario, but we did get hit," DeSantis said.

He said 12,000 miles of state roads have been cleared and inspectors have conducted nearly 2,000 bridge inspections across impacted areas.

The IRS warned that criminals may try to take advantage of victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the agency urged the public to be vigilant when donating to relief efforts.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of the recent hurricanes," the IRS Criminal Investigation service tweeted. "During times of crisis, many of us want to help—but unfortunately, scammers take advantage of these moments."

With six states from North Carolina to Florida under disaster declarations, the IRS is warning Americans to verify a charity’s legitimacy, be cautious of unsolicited texts and social media postings and to never send money in the form of gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.

"Be suspicious if they pressure you to act immediately," the IRS said.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Flights are resuming at Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport on Friday following Hurricane Milton. But about one-fourth of flights leaving both airports have been canceled.