Less than two weeks after Helene, Florida is preparing to face a new climatic event “major and dangerous”. Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the peninsula on the night of Wednesday October 9 to Thursday October 10, 2024, with winds of up to 270 km/h.
Here’s what we know about what could be “the worst storm” to hit this state “in a century” according to US President Joe Biden.
Milton intensified ‘at a breakneck pace’ on Monday
A state of emergency is declared in 35 counties, as of Saturday, October 5, in the face of the threat of a new tropical storm, named Milton, shortly after Helene. This storm, which moved from southwest to northeast in the Gulf of Mexico, became a Category 1 hurricane the next day, and “expected to strengthen into a major hurricane heading towards Florida mid-next week”then anticipates the national meteorological agency NWS, on X.
On Monday, the hurricane intensified “at a breakneck pace”one of “fastest ever observed in the Atlantic basin” according to meteorological expert Michael Lowry, cited by theAgence France-Presse (AFP). In just 20 hours, Milton goes from category 1 to category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
After being briefly downgraded to category 4 early Tuesday, Milton finally returned to category 5 during the day. For comparison, Hurricane Helene was a Category 4.
Coastal submersions which could be “double” those of Helene
Milton is forecast to likely cross Florida before reaching the Atlantic Ocean, with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warning of “Life-threatening consequences for parts of the west coast of Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday”. The hurricane could, according to its trajectory anticipated by the NHC, spare the American interior, such as the mountains of North Carolina where Hurricane Helene caused serious damage, notably triggering flooding.
Read also: After Helene, Hurricane Milton is heading towards Florida: here’s what to expect
For Michael Lowry, cited byAFP, “If the worst forecasts materialize for the Tampa Bay region, coastal flooding caused by Milton could be double that observed two weeks ago during Helene”.
The passage of Milton on Tuesday, off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, did not cause any casualties, causing only some material damage. But, with winds forecast up to 270 km/h tonight, Florida is preparing for the worst.
Evacuating is “a matter of life and death”, assures Joe Biden
While emergency services are still working to help the many victims of Hurricane Helene, “the entire Florida peninsula is under either a form of watch or alert”Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday as he approached Milton.
Of Florida’s 67 counties, 51 are under a state of emergency. Officials have 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 of certain types of buildings, such as long-term care facilities, to evacuate.
At the White House, a meeting was held Tuesday aimed at confronting what could be “Florida’s worst storm in a century”according to Joe Biden, cited by theAFP. “You must evacuate now, it’s a matter of life and death”urged the American president to residents, already affected by the passage of Helene, which left 14 dead in Florida.
Read also: Hurricane Helene: a young nurse and his dog die while trying to help a disaster victim
His vice-president Kamala Harris followed suit on the channel ABCinviting the population to “take local officials seriously”. A sign of the seriousness of the situation, the White House announced that Joe Biden had decided not to go as planned to Germany and then to Angola at the end of the week.
Disney World closed, zoo evacuated… Florida prepares to cope
Generators, food, water and tarps are being distributed across the state of Florida. In Tampa, dozens of cars lined up to collect sandbags to try to protect their homes from expected flooding, reports theAFP.
Many residents are also preparing to leave the area. South of Tampa, in the city of Sarasota, “everyone is leaving”observes Sam Lee, who plans to evacuate for an Airbnb inland with his wife and children. “I’m going to leave, not right away but probably later this evening, just to be safe because I have kids.”adds the 43-year-old plumber. Emmanuel Parks, a 36-year-old pastor, confides toAFP also prepare to leave Tampa and wait for Milton to stay in a hotel. To facilitate these evacuations, the authorities have announced that they will make tolls free.
In Orlando, a large tourist city in central Florida, the giant Disney announced the closure of its amusement parks from 1 p.m. Wednesday. And according to the unofficial Disney Cruise Line blog, the upcoming Disney Wish cruise from Port Canaveral has been canceled. In Tampa, zookeepers rushed to evacuate porcupines, elephants and even orangutans to protected areas.
Natural disasters enter the political debate
Hurricane Helene, which caused destructive flooding and at least 230 deaths across half a dozen states, became the deadliest to hit the continental United States since Katrina in 2005. And with the arrival expected from Milton, the question of natural disasters enters the political debate, in the middle of the American presidential campaign.
Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump accuses the federal state of having done too little, too late, to provide assistance to the victims. And the Democrats have “stole the money” of the federal agency for response to natural disasters (Fema), “so they can give it to their illegal immigrants”. “This is frankly ridiculous and simply wrong”the director of Fema replied on Sunday. The affected people “are afraid to ask us or register for helpalso deplored Deanne Criswell. And this has a considerable impact on the comfort of our teams […] It’s demoralizing.”
“Playing political games right now, in these crisis situations – we are at the peak – is simply irresponsible and selfishcastigated Kamala Harris, addressing Donald Trump. This is politicking, instead of doing the job you were sworn to do, which is putting the people first. »
Storms of increasingly recurring magnitude
Temperatures in the Atlantic have been evolving continuously for more than a year at record heat levels, according to data from the American Meteorological Observatory (NOAA). However, by warming the waters of the seas and oceans, climate change makes the rapid intensification of storms more likely and increases the risk of more powerful hurricanes, scientists warn.
Read also: Rain, wind, intensity… How climate change amplified the effects of Hurricane Helene
According to a report published this Wednesday by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, and consulted by theAFPHurricane Helene’s torrential rains and powerful winds were made 10% more intense by climate change. Storms of the magnitude of Hurricane Helene were previously expected once every 130 years, while today the likelihood is closer to once every 53 years, on average. At the end of May, the American meteorological observatory warned 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 higher hurricanes.
