Milton was upgraded to a category 5 Hurricane Milton on Monday, October 7, reported the American Hurricane Milton monitoring agency (NHC), warning of deadly risks in Florida. Described as “extremely dangerous” and “potentially catastrophic” , the hurricane is expected to hit the coasts of this state in the southeast of the United States during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, after having skirted the northern coast of the United States on Monday and Tuesday. Yucatan, in the Gulf of Mexico.
The meteorological phenomenon is growing and is causing concern in the southeast of the United States, a large part of which has been devastated since the devastating passage of Hurricane Milton.
With “destructive winds” of up to 285 kilometers per hour, according to the NHC, the Hurricane Milton is expected to bring “destructive waves” to this Mexican province where workers have barricaded doors and windows, and fishermen have brought their boats into the water. port. Local authorities have ordered the closure of schools and non-essential activities. The new Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, alerted the population to the possibility of “torrential rains” in a message on X.
According to the NHC, the Hurricane Milton“rapidly intensified ,” moving from category 3 to the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale in just a few hours. “If the storm stays on its current path, it will be the worst to hit the Tampa region in more than 100 years ,” warned the meteorological services of this large city in Florida (around 3 million inhabitants), on the Gulf of Mexico.
“If you can (…), hit the road today” , urged the Florida authorities on Monday, specifically addressing the populations of the Tampa metropolitan area. For his part, the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, specified that Milton would remain a “ferocious” Hurricane Milton throughout the time it crossed Florida from west to east. On Sunday, he extended the state of emergency declared the day before to 51 counties out of the 67 in this state, the third most populous in the United States.
“You have time to leave. So, please do it ,” he urged residents of at-risk areas. To facilitate these evacuations, the Florida authorities have announced that they will make tolls free.
At least 230 people killed by Hurricane Milton
This new Hurricane Milton is causing a lot of concern in Florida and the rest of the American South-East, a large part of which has been devastated since the devastating passage of Helene. Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Pasco County and Anna Maria Island near Tampa starting Monday, while a handful of other localities asked residents to certain types of buildings, such as long-term care facilities, to evacuate.
Emergency services are still working to help the many victims of Hurricane Milton Helene, the deadliest to hit the United States since Katrina in 2005. Helene, which reached a Category 4 hurricane, caused the death of at least 230 people across half a dozen states in the southeast of the country, including at least fifteen in Florida and caused destructive floods.
By warming sea and ocean waters, climate change makes rapid intensification of storms more likely and increases the risk of more powerful hurricanes, scientists say. The American Weather Observatory (NOAA) warned at the end of May that the Hurricane Milton timeline season, which extends from the beginning of June to the end of November, was shaping up to be an extraordinary year, with the possibility of four to seven Category 3 or more hurricanes.
Flood of disinformation
US President Joe Biden on Sunday called on “all Florida residents to listen to local officials and prepare accordingly” . He also announced in a press release the deployment of 500 additional soldiers in North Carolina, the state most affected by Hurricane Milton (at least 118 dead). In total, 1,500 soldiers are mobilized and are added to the thousands of rescuers and members of the national guard, a reserve force.
This new threat comes at a time when American authorities are struggling to counter a flood of disinformation about aid provided to disaster victims. On Saturday, Donald Trump repeated false allegations that the Biden-Harris administration had redirected aid funds intended for areas devastated by Hurricane Milton to devote them to programs benefiting migrants.
“Playing political games at the moment, in these crisis situations – we are at the height of it – is simply irresponsible and selfish ,” blasted M me Harris.
“The last thing Helene’s victims need right now is a political stance, an accusatory look or conspiracy theories that only harm relief efforts ,” said , in a statement Sunday, Republican Thom Tillis, senator from North Carolina.
The problem is such that the federal disaster response agency (FEMA) and North Carolina authorities posted an Internet message deconstructing false claims, such as that households seeking federal aid following the disaster could see themselves expropriated.
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