The powerful Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida on Wednesday, where it is expected to make landfall overnight and could cause “catastrophic” and “potentially fatal” flooding, just two weeks after the already destructive and deadly passage of Hurricane Helene.
“This hurricane is going to have a considerable impact and cause a lot of damage,” the state’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis warned again on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden warned that Milton could be “the worst storm” to hit the Florida peninsula, although accustomed to these weather phenomena, “in a century”. “You must evacuate now, it’s a matter of life and death,” he urged on Tuesday.
Around fifteen counties in Florida, mainly located on the west coast of the peninsula, in the Tampa region, are under evacuation order.
Randy Prior, 36, is not under evacuation order but sent his family to safety. This entrepreneur will stay in the coastal city of Sarasota to watch over his business. “I’m nervous, it’s definitely a big storm,” he confides. “We are barely recovering” from Hélène and “the soils are saturated” with water.
A resident of Tampa, Luis Santiago decided to “shut everything down” and leave. “We will see the result when I return,” said this 43-year-old man.
The authorities of the third most populous state in the country are warning in particular of the potential danger represented by the numerous debris – still visible – left by Helene, which left at least 235 dead across the southeast of the United States and caused damage considerable.
Milton is expected to hit Florida as a “major hurricane” (category 3 or higher, out of 5) and cross it from west to east, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
– Tornadoes –
With its powerful winds which will begin to be felt Wednesday afternoon on the west coast of Florida, Milton could notably lead to coastal flooding of up to 4.5 meters, warned the NHC.
The risk of tornadoes is also very high, according to weather services.
“Hurricane winds capture people’s attention, but flooding is probably the biggest source of concern with Milton,” points out Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the British University of Reading.
The forecast heavy rains pose the “risk of catastrophic and potentially fatal urban flash flooding”, says the NHC. This was the case with Hurricane Helene.
“Many aspects of Helen and Milton are entirely consistent with what we anticipate in terms of climate change,” notes Professor John Marsham, specialist in atmospheric sciences.
“Hurricanes need warm oceans to form, and record ocean temperatures fuel these devastating storms. Warm air traps more water, leading to heavier rain and more flooding,” he said. he.
At the same time, “rising sea levels due to climate change are leading to worsening coastal flooding,” he adds.
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).
– Traffic jams –
“The last time (with Hurricane Helene, which left 15 dead in Florida), I was up to my hip in water,” Emmanuel Parks, 36, told AFP in the town of Tampa.
“So this time (…) I am going to pick up my family and go inland,” explained this man, father of six children.
On Tuesday, endless lines of cars were visible on the state’s main roads and many gas stations were dry. However, airlines have added new flights from several cities in Florida.
However, some, like John Gomez, have decided on the contrary to defy the ban. The septuagenarian traveled from Chicago to try to save his second home. “I think it’s better to be here in case something happens,” he said.
In the middle of the presidential campaign, these hurricanes took a political turn.
After Hélène’s visit, Republican candidate Donald Trump was quick to accuse the federal state, led by Democrats, of having done too little, too late, to provide assistance to the victims.
Accusations strongly denied by Joe Biden and his vice-president and Democratic candidate in the election Kamala Harris. The latter accused him Tuesday evening of having “no empathy for people’s suffering.”
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