Sarasota (EE.UU.), 10 Oct (EFE).- Hurricane Milton has claimed the lives of at least a dozen people and left a path of destruction as it passed through Florida (USA), which recorded deadly tornadoes, serious flooding and where more than 3 million users still remain without power, in addition to cause damage estimated at up to $60 billion.
However, authorities and those affected breathe with some relief because “it could have been worse,” according to EFE Michael, a Fort Myers resident who evacuated before the arrival of Hurricane Milton, which maintains the threat of storm surge, hit the center of Florida with torrential rain and strong winds, after having made landfall this Wednesday night on the west coast of the state as a major hurricane, category 3, and winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour (120 miles).
Deadly tornadoes, floods, millions without power
Five of the 11 deaths occurred in St. Lucie County, on the Treasure Coast, the result of tornadoes linked to Milton that forced 116 tornado warnings to be issued, according to the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis.
Milton, now an extratropical phenomenon, left Florida after crossing the state from west to east, although experts warn that the east coast may still experience heavy rainfall and storm surge.
US President Joe Biden said today that the measures implemented to save lives “made a difference,” but warned that it is still too early to assess the total damage caused by the hurricane.
Biden also urged his predecessor in office and current Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, to abandon disinformation about the government’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
«Get a life, man. Help these people,” Biden said, addressing Trump directly during an appearance at the White House.
The National Weather Service had to declare an emergency due to flash flooding in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, on the central west coast of Florida, due to the intense rains that were recorded, with accumulated rain of more than 43 centimeters and powerful winds that uprooted trees and roofs.
The floods forced relief teams to rescue nearly half a thousand residents who were trapped in an apartment complex in Pinellas County in boats and special vehicles.
Nearly 7.3 million Floridians residing in fifteen counties had received mandatory evacuation orders, an evacuation reinforced with the message that it was “a matter of life or death,” as President Biden conveyed on Wednesday.
Damage claims after Milton passed through the Florida Gulf Coast could have an impact on insurers of between 50,000 and 60,000 million dollars, according to estimates from the sector, which is prepared to absorb these figures, according to the different estimates given to be known this Thursday.
However, this cost will have repercussions on the global insurance industry, notes Insurance Business magazine, which brings the figure up to $60 billion.
Fines for price speculators
While more than 3 million homes and buildings are still without electricity, authorities announced fines of up to $25,000 for speculators and created a special telephone line for complaints.
The decision is a product of alerts of price manipulation and hoarding of basic goods that began before the arrival of the hurricane.
Authorities are also working quickly to restore power to millions of customers and replenish fuel supplies, Governor DeSantis said Thursday at a press conference in St. Lucie.
“Fortunately, Florida, we prepare 50,000 power line installers across the state,” said DeSantis, to emphasize that “the bottom line is that we have to continue bringing fuel.”
Gas stations without fuel
Most of the gas stations in the areas most exposed to the onslaught of the hurricane, such as Tampa Bay, are currently running out of fuel or out of fuel, as hundreds of thousands of people filled their tanks to evacuate by road.
Milton leaves a state ravaged with serious flooding due to rain, destruction, deaths and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated, while still trying to recover from the damage from Helene, which entered northwest Florida on September 26 as a category 4 hurricane.
Helene left more than 230 dead and dozens missing, making it the deadliest hurricane in the US since Katrina in 2005.
While Florida is counting the damage caused by Milton, the hurricane today became an extratropical phenomenon in Atlantic waters, 320 kilometers east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, on the west coast of Florida.
The center of Milton will continue to move away from the east coast of Florida and pass north of the northwestern Bahamas this afternoon, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicated in its most recent bulletin.
.
#Hurricane #Milton #leaves #path #death #destruction #passes #Florida
