The powerful Hurricane Milton swept through central Florida from east to west Wednesday night, triggering flooding and deadly tornadoes, two weeks after another devastating cyclone struck.
The federal government reported at least 10 deaths caused by the hurricane. “In our opinion, these deaths were caused by the tornadoes” that formed due to Milton, said Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, this Thursday (10).
“This storm produced a lot of tornadoes,” Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed Thursday to CNBC, saying he feared the weather phenomenon would cause many deaths.
The meteorological services had already warned about the risk of tornadoes associated with the hurricane.
Milton, which on Thursday morning left Florida behind and is in the waters of the Atlantic, has also “caused flooding in places like Daytona Beach and Saint Augustine” on the east coast of the peninsula, he said, but also in the heart of Florida, like Orlando, where Disney World theme parks remained closed as a precaution.
However, the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided, especially on the West Coast.
“Marine submergence was not as significant as it was during Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago,” DeSantis said, noting that Milton decreased in intensity and changed course slightly before making landfall.
The Republican governor spoke by phone this Thursday morning with the Democratic president Joe Bidenaccording to the White House, which has warned several times that Milton had the strength to be one of the most destructive hurricanes of the last century.
In a video published this Thursday, the Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trumpsaid he was “saddened by the devastation” caused.
The former president, who resides in Florida, said he “prays” with his wife Melania for those affected by the hurricane.
– “Very lucky” –
The western coastal city of Sarasota was coming back to life on Thursday morning as residents rushed to survey the damage.
“I think we were very lucky,” Carrie Elizabeth told AFP. “It will take time to clean up, but it could have been a lot worse.”
However, Biden made an appeal on X for the population to “stay at home” for now.
Further north, in the Tampa Bay city of St. Petersburg, the hurricane tore off the roof of the Rays’ baseball stadium and caused a crane to collapse.
More than 3.3 million homes in Florida were without power on Thursday morning, according to specialized website poweroutage.us.
Milton hit the west coast of Florida on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane – on a scale of 5 – and advanced strongly inland before reaching the Atlantic on Thursday.
Although it has left the peninsula, the hurricane continues to generate strong winds and “heavy rain” in central and eastern Florida, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned.
– It gets worse –
Two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the same region, killing at least 237 people in the southeastern United States, including at least 15 in Florida, Milton was a greater concern for authorities due to the saturated ground and debris still strewn across the streets. .
The third most populous state in the country and a magnet for tourists, Florida is no stranger to hurricanes. But climate change, by warming seawater, is causing them to intensify rapidly, increasing the risk of stronger events, according to scientists.
For Professor John Marsham, an atmospheric scientist, “many aspects of Helene and Milton are very much in line” with what experts predict in terms of climate change.
“Hurricanes need warm oceans to form and record ocean temperatures are fueling these devastating storms. Warmer air retains more water, leading to more intense rain and more flooding,” he explained.
At the same time, “sea level rise due to climate change is leading to increased coastal flooding.
Temperatures in the North Atlantic have reached record highs this year, according to data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
With just over a month to go until the election, Helene’s passage has taken on a political dimension, with Republicans and Democrats clashing over aid to those affected.
Trump accused Democrats of reacting too late to the hurricane, an accusation vehemently rejected by Biden and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“I hope that on January 20th they will have someone who will truly help them”, stated the Republican candidate in his video this Thursday, alluding to the inauguration date of whoever wins the next elections.
