Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, 2.5 million homes without electricity and already flooding – Libération

Hurricane Milton, downgraded to category 1 on a scale of 5, is weakened but still “very dangerous”, according to the authorities, made landfall on the night of Wednesday to Thursday October 10 in Florida. The point of contact is precisely located “near Siesta Key in Sarasota County”wrote the American Hurricane Center (NHC) in its 8:30 p.m. bulletin (2:30 a.m. Paris time). Winds reaching 165 km/h were recorded in the evening, noted this source, warning of the risk of submersion.

The consequences are already being felt. At least 2.5 million homes were deprived of power overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the specialist site poweroutage.us. Accompanied by “extreme winds” and heavy rains, Milton caused flooding upon his arrival “suddenly”specifies the NHC bulletin.

Downgraded at the end of the day to category 3 (on a scale of 5) when it made landfall, it further decreased in power this Thursday morning by moving to category 1, according to the NHC. Milton was expected to be “one of the most destructive hurricanes in more than a century in Florida,” Joe Biden warned Wednesday evening. He also added: “The storm is here. It’s time for everyone to confine themselves […] Stay indoors and stay off the road.”declared the governor of the State of Florida Ron DeSantis during a press conference just before the arrival of the hurricane.

Milton is expected to cross Florida from west to east, according to the NHC, passing in particular near the city of Orlando, where the Disney World theme parks were closed at midday. Tampa and Sarasota airports are at a standstill. Tornadoes were also observed in the center and south of the state, according to the Weather Channel.

An event made more likely by global warming

In the area where Milton made landfall, residents confined themselves upstream, at home or in designated centers. For several days, the authorities have been urging residents of areas affected by evacuation orders to leave, ensuring that it is a “question of life and death”. Two weeks after Hurricane Helene passed through the same area, which left at least 236 dead across the southeast of the United States, including at least 15 in Florida, Milton “is going to be a deadly and catastrophic storm”warned Deanne Criswell, director of the federal natural disaster response agency (Fema).

Florida, the third most populous state in the country which attracts many tourists, is used to hurricanes. But climate change, by warming the seas, makes their rapid intensification more likely and increases the risk of more powerful phenomena, according to scientists. For Professor John Marsham, specialist in atmospheric sciences, “many aspects of Helen and Milton are a complete match” what scientists anticipate regarding climate change. “Hurricanes need warm oceans to form and record ocean temperatures fuel these devastating storms. Warm air holds more water, causing heavier rain and more flooding.he explains. For more than a year, temperatures in the North Atlantic have been continuously evolving at record heat levels, according to data from the American Meteorological Observatory (NOAA).

Milton and Hélène also hit the American presidential campaign. As Republicans and Democrats continue to argue over the federal government’s handling of these two hurricanes, US President Joe Biden denounced the“avalanche of lies” from his predecessor and candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, who accuses his administration of having done too little, too late. Donald Trump, who regularly makes climate-sceptical remarks, has for days accused, and without the slightest proof, the Democrats of having “stole the money” of Fema for “give it to their illegal immigrants”. Allegations qualified Wednesday as “dangerous” et “inadmissible” by her rival for the November 5 presidential election, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Update : at 9:40 a.m. with the demotion of Milton to category 1.