After a tree came crashing through a west-central Florida home during Hurricane Milton, the Bradenton Police SWAT and Crime Reduction Team officers responded and got the family with children and pets to a nearby shelter.
BRADENTON, Fla. – First responders completed hundreds of rescues throughout Hurricane Milton‘s lashing winds and rains across Florida, including one family who was trapped inside their home when a massive tree came crashing through the living room.
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 125-mph winds on Oct. 9, causing widespread damage in the Tampa Bay-Sarasota area, as the storm’s powerful winds downed trees and power lines. Bradenton, north of Sarasota, was among the communities that suffered flooding and wind damage.
Bradenton Police shared the video above showing a home with major structural damage after a large tree crashed through the heart of the house.
A large tree crashed through a family home in Bradenton, Florida, during Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Oct. 9, 2024.
(Bradenton Police Department)
The family called 911 around the time of Milton’s nighttime landfall, but because of high winds, first responders had to wait to rescue the family.
“Once vehicles could get on the road, BPD’s SWAT and Crime Reduction Teams responded & evacuated the family,” police said.
The video shows police with chainsaws prepared to free the family.
All four family members and two dogs were taken to a local shelter, according to police.
The roof was ripped off the Bank of America in Bradenton, Florida, during Hurricane Milton’s approach on Florida Wednesday. FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic caught the damage on video.