Still marked by Helen’s track, Florida is preparing for a new hurricane

A new hurricane is headed for Florida on Sunday, amid a dispute over federal aid given to victims after Hurricane Helene’s devastating journey through the southeastern United States a week ago.

Milton, located in the Gulf of Mexico, is currently rated as a Category 1 (out of 5) hurricane.

It is expected to change to a “major hurricane” (category 3 and above) on Monday before making landfall on the west coast of Florida in the middle of the week, warned the US hurricane monitoring group (NHC). .

These predictions from the NHC are causing concern in Florida and the rest of the American Southeast, much of which has been devastated since Helen’s devastating move.

“Right now, we’re still cleaning up the damage from Helene,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor told CNN, adding that the thought of rain from another storm was “to difficult enough, not to mention the storm surge and wind damage.”

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Pasco County and Anna Maria Island near Tampa starting Monday, while a handful of other areas asked residents of certain buildings, such as long-term care facilities, evacuation

Faced with the threat Milton represented, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis extended the state of emergency announced the day before to several areas on Sunday: 51 out of 67 counties are now affected.

Emergency services are still working to help the many victims of Hurricane Helene, the deadliest to hit the United States since Katrina in 2005.

Helen, which peaked as a Category 4 hurricane, caused at least 226 deaths across half a dozen southeastern states, including at least 14 in Florida, and she caused destructive floods.

By warming sea and ocean waters, climate change is making more intense storms more likely and increasing the risk of more powerful hurricanes, scientists say.

The National Weather Service (NOAA) warned at the end of May that the hurling season, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November, was shaping up to be an exceptional year, with the possibility of between four seven categories are 3 or more hurricanes.

– “Totally ready” –

“We are fully prepared” to face Hurricane Milton, Deanne Criswell, director of the federal natural disaster response agency (FEMA), under fire from criticism, reassured Sunday.

“We started preparing for this several days ago.

President Joe Biden on Sunday called on “all Florida residents to listen to local officials and prepare accordingly.”

Reiterating his commitment to support “as far as it takes” the disaster-stricken southeastern regions, he also announced in a press release that 500 additional troops had been deployed into North Carolina, the state most affected by the hurricane (at least 118 dead).

In total, 1,500 soldiers have been moved and they are in addition to thousands of rescuers and members of the National Guard, a reserve force.

– Many rumors –

This new threat comes at a time when American authorities are struggling to combat a flood of disinformation about aid given to disaster victims.

On Saturday, Donald Trump repeated false allegations that the Biden-Harris administration had redirected aid funds for regions devastated by Hurricane Helen to be given to programs for immigrants.

“It’s completely stupid and just false,” the FEMA director responded Sunday, criticizing the many rumors that abound on social networks about the hurricane.

The former president, a Republican candidate in the November presidential election, had accused the Democratic authorities during the week of “not helping people in Republican districts on purpose”.

“The last thing Hélène’s victims need right now is political posturing, accusations or conspiracy theories that will only harm relief efforts,” Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from Carolina, said Sunday in a press release. North.

Affected people are afraid to “ask us or sign up for help,” FEMA’s Deanne Criswell also lamented. “And this has a big impact on the comfort of our teams (…) it’s a shame.”

The problem is so great that FEMA and North Carolina authorities published an online message dispelling such false claims, such as the one according to which families who applied for federal aid after the disaster could accident to see themselves being used.

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