At least 16 people died after the passage of the Hurricane Milton that caused tornadoes in the state of Florida, local officials reported Thursday, as the region continues to deal with the ravages of a less catastrophic storm than feared.
Powerful Hurricane Milton devastated central Florida from east to west on Wednesday night, causing flooding and deadly tornadoes, two weeks after another devastating cyclone hit.
At least 16 people died when Hurricane Milton spawned tornadoes in Florida, officials said Thursday as the state grappled with flooding, power outages and other problems due to a milder-than-expected storm that many feared would be catastrophic.
Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane – on a scale of 5 – and made its way strongly into the interior of the state, before reaching the Atlantic on Thursday.
Local authorities reported five deaths in St. Lucie County, three in Volusia County, two in the city of St. Petersburg and one in the city of Tampa. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that the deaths were caused by the tornadoes.
“This storm produced many tornadoes,” Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed this Thursday on CNBC, who said he feared that the weather phenomena would cause numerous deaths.
Milton also “caused flooding in places like Daytona Beach and Saint Augustine”, on the east coast of the peninsula, the governor added, but also in the heart of Florida, such as in Orlando, where the Disney World theme parks remained closed as a precaution. .
However, the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided, especially on the West Coast.
“The sea submergence was not as significant as during Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago,” DeSantis said, noting that Milton had decreased in intensity and changed course slightly before making landfall.
The Republican governor spoke by telephone this Thursday morning with Democratic President Joe Biden, according to the White House, who had warned several times that Milton had the strength to be one of the most destructive hurricanes in the last century.
In a video published this Thursday, the Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, said he was “saddened by the devastation” caused by Milton.
The former president, who resides in Florida, said he “prays” with his wife Melania for those affected by the hurricane.
The western coastal city of Sarasota came back to life Thursday morning as residents rushed to survey the damage.
“I think we’ve been very lucky,” Carrie Elizabeth told AFP. “It will take time to clean up, but it could have been a lot worse.”
However, Biden appealed in X to the population to “stay home” for the moment.
Farther north, in the Tampa Bay city of St. Petersburg, the hurricane ripped off the roof of the Rays baseball stadium and caused a crane to collapse.
More than 3.3 million Florida homes were without power Thursday morning, according to the specialized website poweroutage.us.
Although it has left the peninsula, the hurricane continues to generate powerful winds and “heavy rains” over central and eastern Florida, warned the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the same region, killing at least 237 people across the Southeastern United States, including at least 15 in Florida, authorities were more concerned about Milton due to already saturated soil. the rubble that was still in the streets.
The third most populous state in the country and a magnet for tourists, Florida is used to hurricanes. But climate change, by warming sea water, causes them to intensify rapidly, increasing the risk of more powerful phenomena, according to scientists.
Temperatures in the North Atlantic have reached record levels this year, according to data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
With just over a month to go before the elections, Helene’s move took on a political dimension, with Republicans and Democrats clashing over aid for the victims.
Trump accused the Democrats of having reacted late to the hurricane, a recrimination rejected by Biden and the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris.
“I hope that on January 20 they have someone who will truly help them,” the Republican candidate said in a video this Thursday, alluding to the inauguration date of whoever wins the next elections.
Source: Ambito
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