AA / Tunisia / Majdi Ismail
The passage of Hurricane Milton in Florida (southeast United States) during the night from Wednesday to Thursday deprived more than 2.5 million homes of power, causing flooding, two weeks after the devastating passage of the Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, the US Hurricane Center (NHC) alerted in its bulletin at 8:30 p.m. local time (00:30 GMT).
Previously classified as category 5, Hurricane Milton was downgraded to category 3 upon reaching the west coast of Florida. This reclassification did not prevent tornadoes, floods, landslides, destruction of homes and power outages.
Escorted by extreme winds measured up to 177 km/h northeast of Sarasota and heavy rains, Milton caused “flash flooding” upon its arrival, the NHC bulletin indicates.
”The storm is here (…) Stay indoors and don’t take the road,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference, shortly before Hurricane Milton hit.
Milton was expected to be “one of the most destructive hurricanes in more than a century in Florida”, US President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday evening. Florida has already experienced three hurricanes this year: Francine, Helene and now Milton. An unprecedented situation for this American state since 1871.
According to the NHC, Hurricane Milton is expected to cross Florida from west to east. Tampa and Sarasota airports are at a standstill, while Disney World theme parks have been closed.
At least 19 tornadoes were also reported in central and southern Florida, the Weather Channel reports.
The tornadoes caused damage in many counties and destroyed approximately 125 homes, including many mobile homes, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.
ABC News reported, citing the St. Lucie County Sheriff, that several casualties were reported at a senior community center after a tornado hit Fort Pierce (east coast of Florida).
Two weeks earlier, Hurricane Helene had killed at least 236 people in the southeast of the United States, including at least 15 in Florida.
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