Tom Brady has donated a generous sum to victims of Hurricane Milton in Florida.

The NFL legend, who spent much of his glittering career with the New England Patriots before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, released a statement confirming what his $100,000 donation will be used for on Thursday, 10 October.

“In the wake of Hurricane Milton, I’ll be making a donation of $100k to help get essentials like food, water and first aid to Floridians in need,” Brady wrote.

“Keep those impacted by these storms in your prayers, look out for your neighbors, and continue to help out anyway you’re able. Stay safe, and stay strong Florida.”

Hurricane Milton ripped back into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after cutting a destructive path across Florida that spawned more than a dozen tornados, destroyed homes and killed at least four people.

The storm did not trigger the catastrophic surge of seawater that was feared, and Governor Ron DeSantis said the state had avoided the worst-case scenario, though he cautioned the damage was still significant.

More than 3 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power on Thursday morning, according to reports.

Some of them had been waiting days for power to be restored after Hurricane Helene hit the area nearly two weeks ago, with the latest storm adding to their issues.

The Tampa Bay area, where Brady played for three seasons between 2020 and 2022, appeared to have escaped the storm surge that had prompted the most dire warnings.

However, Raymond James Stadium – home of the Buccaneers – and Tropicana Field felt the devastating full force of the storm on Wednesday night.

Viral video footage showed most of the fabric covering the domed roof at Tropicana Field completely torn off.

The ballpark was a staging area for responders, with thousands of cots set up on the field.

Raymond James Stadium, meanwhile, was quickly overcome with water.

Brady’s former team had already left Florida ahead of Milton to practice the rest of the week.

The Bucs relocated to New Orleans ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Saints on Sunday.

“Stay safe, Florida,” the team said in a statement on X after sharing photos of the players and their families boarding their flight.

In the Tampa area, the storm toppled trees, threw debris across roadways and downed power lines.

Some neighborhoods were flooded, but the extent of the damage will not be known until crews can assess the destruction in the coming days.