With Milton about 775 kilometers from Tampa, Florida, its 3.3 million residents are on high alert. Hundreds of thousands are evacuating the state of Florida (population 5.9 million cars), which is expecting a hurricane of unprecedented ferocity – the worst in the last 100 years – authorities expect that when it reaches its peak, the winds will move between 280 , possibly up to 350 km/h, the water will exceed a height of 5 meters and above them there will be waves of 3 meters height.
The warning of the American authorities that “anyone who does not leave will die” does not seem exaggerated at all. Because it’s not just the 5 meters of water and the 3 meter waves, but also the gale force winds, which will uproot and sweep away everything in their path – turning them into deadly debris that will move with the rapids.
More than a million Florida residents – many from areas that were hit by Hurricane Ellen in the previous days – are estimated to have left the state in the next few hours, as they have been warned to leave or “they will die” if they don’t. This leads to queues for kilometers on the highways, but also to fuel shortages. Even Florida penitentiaries were evacuated, transferring 4,636 inmates to other prisons.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has barred its personnel from entering, keeping only security personnel, while Universal Studios, Disney World, SeaWorld will also remain closed in anticipation 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 blocked 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 there is a titanic fight to keep Florida from running out of fuel, President Biden, who promised that the State will stand by those affected, issued a stern warning to airlines “don’t you dare raise your ticket prices”.
In the meantime, 5,000 men of the National Guard, with rescue helicopters, boats and special amphibious vehicles, have been deployed in the wider area and expect to intervene where necessary. Ten hospitals and more than 300 care structures (elderly, newborns, long-term patients, etc.) have been evacuated and hospitals on standby are preparing for the worst scenario.
Milton has been upgraded to Category 5 as it maintains winds of 270 km/h. Forecasters appear alarmed as they estimate the hurricane has the potential to double its wind speed shortly before making landfall.
Hurricane Milton has passed through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula heading toward the heavily populated Florida coast where it is expected to make landfall late tonight. Once there, forecasters have warned that the hurricane could bring storm surges as high as 10 feet, leading to further possible evacuation orders along the Gulf Coast.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis urged residents to prepare for a “ferocious” storm, calling it the strongest hurricane to hit the Gulf of Mexico since 2005. “Let’s prepare for the worst and hope it weakens.” , said Mr. DeSandis. “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 without delay. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor gave a stark warning: “If you choose to stay in these evacuation zones, that decision could cost you your life.
Meanwhile, the region has still not recovered from Hurricane Ellen, which struck about 100 miles north of Tampa last month, unleashing historic storm surges, destroying hundreds of homes and killing more than 12 people, many of them elderly people who did not evacuate their areas in time.
Large amounts of debris still remain in streets and neighborhoods. Governor DeSandis ordered the disposal sites to remain open 24 hours a day to remove hazardous items before Milton turned them into “missiles”.
“Bet” for Biden
The human tragedy that is born does not stop the race for elections. In Florida, they have already begun to discuss the next day, namely how quickly those affected will be compensated and whether this will be done universally.
The scale of human loss and destruction will, however, be a major indicator of the ability of the administration of Joe Biden and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to cope with crises. After all, no one can forget how the administration of George W. Bush was “haunted” by its handling when another region of the USA was hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Biden seems to be well aware of this, which is why he canceled his planned trips to Germany and Angola and has focused on Florida. The dispatch of the National Guard to the State before it was hit by Milton, the warning to the airlines not to overcharge citizens fleeing for safety, and the promises to be by the side of the affected the next day, prove this. Of course, it remains to be judged by the response to this disaster.
