(with new details)
“It’s a question of life and death,” warned US President Joe Biden, who canceled his trips to Germany and Angola because of the storm. The 81-year-old actually wanted to leave for Berlin on Thursday. He called Milton a potentially “destructive” storm that could be one of the worst to hit Florida in the past hundred years. He called on people in the affected regions to seek safety.
Dramatic warnings for Florida
“Milton” is scheduled to reach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday evening (local time). In the city of Tampa, Mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning to the population on CNN: “I can say without any dramatization: If you choose to stay in one of the evacuation areas, you will die.” Numerous airports in the state suspended operations.
Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded in the region, the National Hurricane Center warned. Normally dry areas near the coast could be flooded by the rising waters. Life-threatening storm surges with water levels of up to five meters and destructive winds are to be expected. “Rainfall poses the risk of life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding,” it said. Tornadoes must also be expected.
Second hurricane within a few days
Florida is still struggling with the damage left by Hurricane Helene. Around a week and a half ago, “Helene” made landfall in northwest Florida as a second-highest category hurricane. The storm then weakened, but caused severe flooding and destruction as it moved north. According to consistent media reports, well over 200 people in six states died – in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the disaster for his election campaign and accused Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris of not doing enough for the victims. Harris is running for the Democrats against Trump in the presidential election on November 5th. Both Biden and Harris finally visited the disaster area several times last week.
Hurricane season runs until the end of November
Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean water. According to experts, increasing global warming is increasing the likelihood of strong storms. Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins on June 1st and lasts until November 30th. The storms are named in alphabetical order.
