Hurricane Milton intensified “explosively” on Monday near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, before its expected arrival by Wednesday in Florida, already affected by the destructive passage of Helen at the end of September.
The hurricane, designated as “potentially catastrophic”, is classified as category 5, at the highest of the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of up to 280 km/h, according to the American Hurricane Center (NHC ).
Violent squalls will blow over the Yucatan on Monday and Tuesday before hitting Florida, in the southeast of the United States, “from Tuesday evening or Wednesday”, via the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
In the Yucatan, workers barricaded doors and windows, fishermen returned their boats to port and local authorities ordered the closure of schools and non-essential activities.
Although the hurricane is not expected to make landfall in Mexico, “torrential rain and winds are expected,” new president Claudia Sheinbaum warned on X.
Regions still affected by Hélène
In Florida, Milton is causing a lot of concern, less than two weeks after the particularly devastating passage of Hurricane Helene in the southeast of the country.
The latter left at least 230 dead across half a dozen states in the southeast of the country – including at least 15 in Florida – and caused destructive floods.
>> Read about it: Regions devastated by Hurricane Helene still cut off from the world in the United States
Emergency services are still hard at work to help the many victims of this hurricane, the deadliest to hit the United States since Katrina in 2005.
The American Weather Observatory (NOAA) warned at the end of May that the hurricane 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.
>> See also the explanations on the first names of hurricanes:
1500 soldiers mobilized
President Joe Biden on Sunday called on “all Florida residents to listen to local officials and prepare accordingly.”
Reiterating his commitment to supporting the affected regions “as long as necessary”, he also announced in a press release the deployment of 500 additional soldiers in North Carolina, the state most affected by Hurricane Helene.
In total, 1,500 soldiers are mobilized and are added to the thousands of rescuers and members of the National Guard, a reserve force.
afp/donate
Related News :