- Table of Contents:
- Category 5 Threat: Milton strengthens to a dangerous categrory
- Evacuation orders: Residents urged to flee as storm approaches
- Emergency Response: Officials scramble to prepare for the worst
- political Fallout: Hurricane disturbs presidential campaign
- Ongoing Recovery: Helene’s damage still being assessed
Category 5 Threat: Milton strengthens to a dangerous category
Hurricane Milton, which momentarily strengthened into a category five hurricane before
reverting to a category four as it approaches Florida, has prompted warnings from US officials on
its potential harm to human life.
Milton is continuing delivering violent gusts of up to 155 mph (250 km/h) as it passes the Yucatan
peninsula in northern Mexico. Storm surges that might be “potentially catastrophic” are
predicted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for coastal locations.
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the state, the storm is predicted to strike
the densely populated city of Tampa Bay with maximum intensity on Wednesday. Residents of
Florida are expected to be ready for the biggest evacuation operation in recent memory.
Evacuation orders: Residents urged to flee as storm approaches
There is not much longer for people to flee, according to Governor Ron DeSantis. “We have to
assume this is going to be a monster,” DeSantis said at press conference on Monday afternoon,
as officials warned of the storm’s category five classification. Just ten days have passed since Hurricane Helene, the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005, devastated the southeast of the US and claimed at least 225 lives.
Hurricane Milton is the subject of warnings. There are still hundreds missing. As Milton draws
near, at least 14 of the fatalities occurred in Florida, where emergency alerts are currently in
effect for 51 of 67 counties. Regretfully, this storm is headed directly at a few of the victims of Hurricane Helene,” DeSantis stated.
The National Weather Service (NWS) director, Ken Graham, reported that Milton had
strengthened into a category five hurricane at a record-breaking rate, with wind gusts reaching
80 knots (148 km/h) in just one day.
“That’s the third highest we have on record,” he stated. Based on the speed of their winds,
hurricanes are divided into five categories. According to the NWS, hurricanes that reach category
three and above are regarded as major hurricanes due to their ability to wreak a great deal of
damage and fatalities.
Emergency Response: Officials scramble to prepare for the worst
As it moves over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, Hurricane Milton is predicted to weaken and
become a category three hurricane by the time it makes landfall in Florida’s Tampa Bay on
Wednesday night or early on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center issued a warning on Monday night that flash floods and heavy
rains might occur in some areas of Florida. It further stated that beginning late Tuesday or early
Wednesday, there could be destructive gusts and storm surges that could be fatal along parts of
Florida’s west coast.
Storm surges in coastal locations could reach 10-15 feet (3-4.5 meters) and rainfall totals could
reach localized highs of 15 inches (38 cm). On Monday, counties in western and central Florida started to issue evacuation orders, and tolls will be removed from the routes. In south Florida, long lines at gas stations started to form, and there have been reports of stations running out of fuel.
Traffic congestion in certain regions has climbed by as much as 90% above usual, DeSantis
added. On Tuesday, numerous counties will start closing their schools. Federal Emergency
Management Agency (Fema) spokesperson Keith Turi stated: “I’m encouraged by the amount of
evacuation that’s going on right now.”
Read more:https://www.inpactimes.com/zepto-relocating-headquarters-to-bengaluru/
political Fallout: Hurricane disturbs presidential campaign
This is genuinely encouraging. On Monday, there were orders for evacuation in several areas of
Pinellas County, where Hurricane Helene claimed the lives of at least twelve individuals. Due to
the storm, airports in Orlando and Tampa declared they would be stopping flights on Tuesday.
Inclement weather also ruined the presidential campaign.
DeSantis spoke with President Joe Biden over the phone, but Vice President Kamala Harris, who is challenging former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, has reportedly not been allowed to reach him. This information was reported by NBC News. “She called me, but I didn’t know about it,” DeSantis remarked.
In response to a question regarding why her calls went unanswered on
Monday afternoon, Harris said that it would be completely unethical to “play political games with this moment, in these crisis situation[s], these are the height of emergency situation[s], Additionally, it is self- serving and a political ploy rather than carrying out the duty of prioritizing the needs of the people, as you were sworn to do.
A town hall-style gathering that was scheduled to be shot with Trump on Tuesday in Miami has
been rescheduled for next week. The host network Univision declared that “everyone’s health
and safety during this event is our top priority.”
Ongoing Recovery: Helene’s damage still being assessed
As the US government issues a warning that cleanup work following Hurricane Helene may take
years, a new hurricane is approaching. Over 12,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected in
Helene-affected areas of Florida in less than two days, officials said.
According to DeSantis, clearing out debris will go on “until it is no longer safe to do so”.
Efforts to deliver relief to severely affected people are hampered by the hundreds of closed
highways in the affected areas. As a category four hurricane, Helene made landfall in late
September, inflicting flash flooding, structural damage, and power outages for millions of
residences.
In addition to Florida, deaths were reported in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and
North Carolina, which was the state most severely affected. Another 500 soldiers have been
ordered by Biden to be sent to North Carolina on deployment.
The 1,500-strong military will collaborate with the National Guard and thousands of government
rescue personnel. Thus far, Biden has authorized around $140 million (£107 million) in federal
aid.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl8e084r9yo
