Taylor Swift donates $5m to help feed those affected by Hurricane Milton

Taylor Swift has donated $5m (£3.8m) to help those affected by Hurricane Milton, as the deadly storm smashed into the Florida coast on Wednesday.

The pop megastar, the world's richest female musician, with a reported $1.6bn (£1.2bn) fortune, gave the money to the non-profit Feeding America, as celebrities acted to help people cope with the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Feeding America chief executive Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement on the group's X account: "Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and helping communities in need."

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Milton threatens widespread destruction across the state, part of a region devastated by Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.

Swift, 34, is due to play in Miami next week as she kicks off the final run of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

She is known for supporting fundraisers, donating to 1,400 Trussell food banks in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London - the cities where she performed this summer.

The singer recently gave $100,000 (£79,400) to a fundraiser for the family of a woman who died in the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebrations.

Swift was at the NFL match to support her Kansas City Chiefs star boyfriend Travis Kelce.

On Wednesday, country musicians including Keith Urban, Luke Combs and Eric Church announced they will stage a Concert for Carolina benefit gig later this month, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for people affected by the two storms.

Another country artist, Morgan Wallen, helped collect supplies and posed for photos with fans at a food drive in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.

He had earlier donated $500,000 (£382,000) to the American Red Cross for the hurricane relief effort.

Country superstar Dolly Parton donated $1m (£764,000) of her personal funds to a Tennessee non-profit, the Mountain Ways Foundation, providing immediate help to Hurricane Helene flood victims.

Her businesses, including the Dollywood theme park, matched the amount.

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, bringing ferocious winds of more than 100mph (160kph) and producing a series of tornadoes around the state.

The National Hurricane Center, based in Miami, measured maximum sustained winds of 120mph (205kph) as it roared ashore at around 8.30pm, local time, near Siesta Key.

More than two million households were without power, the PowerOutages website said, as forecasters warned of a potentially deadly storm surge to much of Florida's Gulf Coast, along with heavy rains.

Two people died in St Lucie County on Florida's Atlantic coast, where officials said tornadoes touched down.

-SKY NEWS