US President Joe Biden urgently urged Floridians to evacuate, warning that Hurricane Milton could be the biggest natural disaster to hit the state in a century.
Crowded cars move from Florida to Miami to avoid the storm on October 8 – Photo: AFP
Milton is the second storm in two weeks to hit Florida ‘s west coast . Anxiety is rife as residents scramble to shore up their homes and evacuate the area.
“This is a matter of life and death, and that is no exaggeration,” Mr Biden said from the White House, stressing that those who received evacuation orders should “leave immediately, right now”.
Milton has now returned to Category 5 status, with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). “The storm’s intensity may fluctuate as Milton moves through the eastern Gulf, but it is expected to remain a strong hurricane when it makes landfall on the west-central coast of Florida late on October 9 (local time), ” the NHC said.
Satellite image of super typhoon Milton with winds of 270km/h, American people shovel sandbags to cover roofs
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has listed a number of towns and counties as being in danger zones. “Basically all of Florida is under a warning or watch,” he said.
Airlines have increased flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota, while highways are jammed with evacuated vehicles and gas stations have sold out of fuel.
Many people fill up their gas tanks before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, October 8 – Photo: AFP
Internet service workers reinforce cables in Kissimmee, Florida, October 8 – Photo: AFP
Risk of rising sea levels
Hurricane expert Michael Lowry warned that the Tampa area, home to about 3 million people, could see water levels double what they saw during Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, causing severe flooding.
President Biden postponed a major trip to Germany and Angola to oversee relief efforts. The storm response has become a political battleground ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
Tampa (Florida) residents take sandbags to reinforce their houses, October 8 – Photo: AFP
Dozens of cars lined up at a Tampa stadium to receive sandbags to protect homes from flooding.
John Gomez, 75, defied official advice and traveled from Chicago to Florida to protect his second home. “I thought it was better to be here in case something happened,” he said as he waited for sandbags.
Climate change
People reinforce windows in Tampa (Florida) before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, October 8 – Photo: AFP
Scientists believe climate change plays a major role in increasing the intensity of hurricanes, as warmer ocean surface temperatures increase the amount of water vapor, providing more energy for storms and increasing wind strength.
Floridians are scrambling to clear potentially hazardous debris as Hurricane Milton approaches.
In Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, strong winds toppled trees and power poles and heavy rains caused flooding, but the region was fortunate to avoid major damage or casualties as the storm moved out to sea.
In the Southeast United States, relief workers are still struggling to provide relief after Hurricane Helene , which has killed at least 230 people across the states.
Helene made landfall on the Florida coast on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, causing massive flooding in remote towns in northern states such as North Carolina and Tennessee. It is the deadliest natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the death toll continues to rise.
Drone footage shows doors in Tampa being boarded up with plywood – Photo: AFP
Florida Aquarium moves animals to higher ground to avoid storm – Photo: REUTERS
