As more than a million people living in Florida’s coastal areas have been ordered to evacuate, highways have been lined up and gas stations have run out of fuel.
The hurricane, a category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is packing winds of up to 170 miles per hour and is expected to hit the Tampa metropolitan area, home to more than 3 million people, although forecasters point out that the Milton’s path may change.
Also, according to the latest update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), there is likely to be “fluctuations in intensity” of Milton before it reaches the west coast of Florida.
The cyclone is moving from southwest to northeast in the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, Tuesday, it passed through the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico without causing any casualties, only some property damage.
The International Space Station just orbited above Hurricane Milton as it is re-intensifying over the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Spectacular view from space. pic.twitter.com/KDShU0qZIN
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) October 8, 2024
“The entire Florida peninsula has been put on either alert or alert,” state governor Ron DeSandis said yesterday.
Milton may be “the worst storm to hit Florida in a century,” US President Joe Biden warned on the sidelines of a meeting at the White House on preparations to deal with the phenomenon.
“You have to move away now, it’s a matter of life and death,” he said, addressing the residents of the third most populous American state.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, in an interview with ABC, asked residents of areas where Milton is expected to pass to “take local officials seriously.”
An indication of the seriousness with which the White House is dealing with the cyclone is the fact that Biden postponed his planned visit to Germany and Angola.
Climate change has made it more likely that storms will increase in intensity quickly and is increasing the risk of more powerful cyclones as it causes sea and ocean water temperatures to rise, scientists say.
The temperature in the North Atlantic has been rising for more than a year and has reached a record level, according to the US weather observatory NOAA.
As meteorologist Michael Lowry explains, “If the forecasts for the Tampa Bay area are confirmed, the flooding that Milton will cause in coastal areas could be twice that seen two weeks ago from Hurricane Elin.”
“Milton strengthened on Monday at an extraordinary rate,” “one of the fastest ever seen in the Atlantic region,” he added.
“Everything will be flooded”
Generators, food, water and tents have been distributed across Florida, while many residents plan to leave.
In Tampa, dozens of people lined up in their cars yesterday to get sandbags to protect their homes from flooding.
“I’m afraid they will flood everything,” said Luis Santiago.
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for dozens of coastal counties affecting nearly a million people. The removal of residents from nursing homes and those living in mobile homes is mandatory.
Major traffic jams have formed on roads leading out of Tampa, and nearly 17 percent of Florida’s 8,000 gas stations are out of fuel, according to the website GasBuddy.
South of Tampa, in the city of Sarasota, Sam Lee stopped at a convenience store before settling into an Airbnb off the coast with his wife and children.
“Everyone is leaving. I will leave, not immediately but probably later in the evening”, he explained.
Emmanuel Parks, a 36-year-old pastor, also said he is ready to leave Tampa and check into a hotel.
In Orlando, a major tourist city in central Florida, Disney has announced the closure of its parks from 13:00 today (20:00 Greek time).
The southeastern United States was hit in late September by Hurricane Elin, which caused major damage and flooding in six states, killing at least 235 people.
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#Hurricane #Milton #Alert #Florida #Shocked #images #traffic #jam #Fleeing #escape #Tensions #rise
