Florida orders evacuations as Hurricane Milton strengthens
Published: 04:10 PM,Oct 07,2024 | EDITED : 08:10 PM,Oct 07,2024
Local residents form a long line in the rain before the opening of a shopping warehouse ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall in Kissimmee, Florida on October 7, 2024. Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency on Saturday as forecasters warned that Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall later this week. (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP)
WASHINGTON: Hurricane Milton intensified rapidly on Monday, with dangerous winds and storm surges forecast for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before the massive storm is set to slam into Florida by Wednesday. The storm comes close behind deadly Hurricane Helene, which hit the same areas, and some Florida residents have been ordered to evacuate again.
The US National Hurricane Center said Milton was 'an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane,' on a scale of five, packing maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometres an hour. It warned of storm surges raising water levels by 1.5 metres along the Yucatan Peninsula and large, destructive waves on the coast.
Rainfall of 25 cm, with localised spots of up to 38 cm, is expected to cause havoc in Florida, bringing flash flooding in urban areas. Emergency workers are still racing to provide relief in the aftermath of Helene, which killed more than 225 people in several states across the US southeast.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared 51 of the state's 67 counties under a state of emergency, predicting Milton could have 'major, major impacts.' President Joe Biden was briefed on Milton and said in a statement his administration was readying 'life-saving resources.' Milton is forecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of Mexico, the NHC said. Its storm surge will 'raise water levels by as much as 0.6 to 1.2 metres above ground level' along the northern Yucatan coast and cause 'large and destructive waves,' it said on Monday.
Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm, dumping torrential rainfall and causing flash flooding in remote towns in states such as North Carolina. The storm, which struck Florida on September 26, was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
Communities, particularly those in remote mountainous areas, have been left without power and drinking water. However, relief efforts have been hit by a wave of false claims and conspiracy theories.
Among the litany of disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that relief funds have been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants. The head of the US disaster relief agency has lashed out at a 'dangerous' misinformation war being waged over the aftermath.
'It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people,' Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. — AFP
The US National Hurricane Center said Milton was 'an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane,' on a scale of five, packing maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometres an hour. It warned of storm surges raising water levels by 1.5 metres along the Yucatan Peninsula and large, destructive waves on the coast.
Rainfall of 25 cm, with localised spots of up to 38 cm, is expected to cause havoc in Florida, bringing flash flooding in urban areas. Emergency workers are still racing to provide relief in the aftermath of Helene, which killed more than 225 people in several states across the US southeast.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared 51 of the state's 67 counties under a state of emergency, predicting Milton could have 'major, major impacts.' President Joe Biden was briefed on Milton and said in a statement his administration was readying 'life-saving resources.' Milton is forecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of Mexico, the NHC said. Its storm surge will 'raise water levels by as much as 0.6 to 1.2 metres above ground level' along the northern Yucatan coast and cause 'large and destructive waves,' it said on Monday.
Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm, dumping torrential rainfall and causing flash flooding in remote towns in states such as North Carolina. The storm, which struck Florida on September 26, was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005's Hurricane Katrina.
Communities, particularly those in remote mountainous areas, have been left without power and drinking water. However, relief efforts have been hit by a wave of false claims and conspiracy theories.
Among the litany of disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that relief funds have been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants. The head of the US disaster relief agency has lashed out at a 'dangerous' misinformation war being waged over the aftermath.
'It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people,' Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. — AFP