Hurricane Milton evacuees were bracing for the worst Thursday morning as many across Hillsborough County returned home to assess the damage.

Nearly two million Floridians are without power after Hurricane Milton hit the Sunshine State late Wednesday less than two weeks since Hurricane Helene 's devastation. Over 1.901 million outages have been reported in Florida as of 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker.

As Hurricane Milton approaches West-Central Florida, Hillsborough County is keeping four debris collection sites open for the community. These sites will accept yard waste and storm-related debris this Wednesday morning, helping residents clear their yards and secure their homes before the storm hits.