With Hurricane Milton located about 775 kilometers from Tampa, Florida, 3.3 million of its residents are on alert. Hundreds of thousands are evacuating the state of Florida (population 5.9 million), which is expecting a cyclone of unprecedented ferocity – the worst in 100 years: authorities expect that when it reaches its peak, winds will be moving between 280, possibly as high as 350 km/h, water will be more than 5 meters high and, on top of that, there will be waves 3 meters high.
The US authorities’ warning that “anyone who doesn’t leave will die” does not seem at all exaggerated. For it is not only the 5 meters of water and 3 meter waves, but also the gale-force winds that will uproot and sweep everything in their wake; turning it into deadly debris that will move with the rushing waters.
More than a million Florida residents – many from areas hit by Hurricane Ellen in the past few days – are estimated to have fled the state in the coming hours, having been told to leave as they “will die” if they don’t. This is leading to mile-long queues on the highways, as well as fuel shortages. Even Florida’s correctional facilities have been evacuated, moving 4,636 inmates to other prisons.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has banned its staff from entering, keeping only security personnel, while Universal Studios, Disney World, SeaWorld in London will also be closed in advance of the hurricane. Thousands of vehicles have headed north on Interstate 75, the main road on the west side of the peninsula, as residents follow evacuation orders. Traffic has clogged the southbound lanes of the road for miles as others head to the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.
And while a titanic struggle is being waged to keep Florida from running out of fuel, President Biden, who promised the state would stand by those affected, issued a stern warning to airlines “not to dare raise their ticket prices.”
Meanwhile, 5,000 National Guard troops, with rescue helicopters, boats and special amphibious vehicles, have been deployed to the area and expect to intervene wherever needed. Ten hospitals and more than 300 care facilities (for the elderly, newborns, long-term patients, etc.) have been evacuated and the hospitals on alert are preparing for the worst case scenario.
Milton has been upgraded to Category 5 as he maintains wind speeds of 270 km/h. Meteorologists appear alarmed as they estimate the hurricane has the potential to double its wind speed just before it makes landfall.
Hurricane Milton has passed through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula heading towards the densely populated coast of Florida where it is expected to arrive late tonight (local time). Once there, meteorologists have warned that the hurricane could bring storm surges up to 3.5 meters high, leading to the issuance of further possible evacuation orders along the Gulf Coast.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has urged local residents to prepare for a “ferocious” storm, stressing that this is the strongest cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico since 2005. “Let’s prepare for the worst and hope it weakens,” DeSantis said. “I can say this without any sense of drama: if you choose to stay in one of the evacuation zones, you will die.”
So far, at least nine counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders, and authorities are asking residents to comply with them without delay. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning, “If you choose to stay in these evacuation areas, that decision could cost you your life.”
Meanwhile, the region is still recovering from Hurricane Ellen, which struck about 100 miles north of Tampa last month, causing historic storms, destroying hundreds of homes and killing more than 12 people, many of them seniors who did not evacuate their areas in time.
Large amounts of debris still remain in the streets and neighborhoods. Governor DeSantis has ordered the collection sites to stay open 24 hours a day to remove the hazardous items before Milton turns them into “projectiles.”
“Bet” on Biden
The human tragedy that is being born does not stop the race for the election. In Florida, they’ve already begun discussing the day ahead, namely how quickly the affected people will be compensated and whether that will be done universally.
The extent of human loss and destruction will, in any case, be a major indicator of the ability of Joe Biden’s administration and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to cope with crises. No one, after all, can forget the way in which the George W. Bush administration was “haunted” by its handling when another region of the United States was hit by a hurricane, Katrina, in 2005 and many already criticize the Biden-Harris administration of the amount of the aid given to people affected by Hurricane Ellen.
Biden seems well aware of this, which is why he has cancelled his planned trips to Germany and Angola and has focused on Florida. Sending the National Guard to the state before it was hit by Milton, warning the airlines not to overcharge fleeing citizens to save themselves, and promising to be on the side of the affected people the next day proves this. Of course, it remains to be judged by the response to this disaster.
