Havana / Mexico City / Miami /The fearsome eye of Hurricane Milton threatens the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico, and is heading towards Florida. Although it is not expected to pass through Cuba, the system, which has dropped to category 4 in the last few hours, is leaving rain and strong winds in gusts – of about 60 km/h, including tornadoes, in Pinar del Río. Isla de la Juventud and Mayabeque will also feel the effects of the hurricane this Tuesday and Wednesday, crucial days for the Island regarding the phenomenon.
The Temporary Working Group of the Isle of Youth met this Monday to evaluate possible damage and established the importance of securing the roofs of homes, warehouses and workplaces, in addition to paying special attention to trees that may fall on buildings and networks. electrical.
Attention is now focused on Mexico, which ruled out this morning that Milton would make landfall on the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula, after moving east at 15 km/h. The hurricane has given a small relief by reducing its category to 4, although it is still very dangerous.
The hurricane has given a small relief by reducing its category to 4, although it is still very dangerous
According to the note from the National Water Commission (Conagua), the center of the hurricane is located 85 km north-northwest of Dzilam, and 118 km west-northwest of Río Lagartos, both locations in Yucatán, with maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h and gusts of 280 km/h. Milton’s wide circulation will maintain occasional torrential rains in Campeche and Yucatán, and intense rains in Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz.
For days, Mexican authorities have implemented alert and prevention measures in different areas of the Caribbean. For example, the island of Holbox, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, has been evacuated, or a ‘curfew’ and dry law scheme has been implemented in other locations.
In the tourist town of Cancun, shelters were activated for residents and even a pet collection center in safe spaces. Likewise, the governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, announced that nine hotels in Cancun will offer special rates to tourists who are in transit due to Hurricane Milton.
Despite the reduction in intensity, the development of the hurricane continues to cause alerts throughout the Gulf of Mexico. In the latest report from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), authorities warn that Milton is extremely powerful, located north of the Yucatan Peninsula, and represents an “extremely serious threat” to Florida, urging its residents to follow the orders of local officials.
The center of Milton is forecast to “move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula tonight and Tuesday,” cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico and “approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday.” , meteorologists indicated.
“The potentially catastrophic” Hurricane Milton will experience fluctuations, but “will remain an extremely dangerous hurricane until it makes landfall in Florida,” the NHC warned.
“Potentially catastrophic” Hurricane Milton will experience fluctuations, but “will remain an extremely dangerous hurricane until it makes landfall in Florida”
In the midst of this situation, a political storm has broken out in Florida due to the alleged refusal of the governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, to speak with President Joe Biden, who managed to communicate after more than 24 hours of disagreement.
The White House reported in a statement that Biden spoke with DeSantis “to obtain a first-hand report” on the recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, which has left 230 dead in the southeastern United States, and to discuss preparations. .
According to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, DeSantis spoke only with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday. On Monday morning, NBC reported that in the last few hours, citing sources close to DeSantis, the governor had refused to answer Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
It is common for the president of the United States to telephone the governors of states affected by natural disasters to coordinate the provision of aid. At the White House press conference, Jean-Pierre defended that the Executive is fulfilling its obligation to help Americans who have been affected by Hurricane Helene and who are now preparing for Milton.
Biden traveled to Florida on Thursday to monitor the damage caused by Helene and did not meet with DeSantis because he was planning to travel to other parts of the state to see the damage caused by the hurricane, the White House indicated at the time.
At a press conference in Florida, DeSantis confirmed at midday Monday that he had not spoken by phone with either Biden or Harris, although he denied it was deliberate.
The governor explained that Biden tried to contact him a couple of days ago, but that he could not take the call because he was in a helicopter. Regarding Harris, he claimed to be unaware of any attempt at communication by the vice president.
“I didn’t know she had called, so I’m not sure who they called, but they didn’t contact me,” said DeSantis, who however stressed that he has received all the help requested from the federal government.
DeSantis is one of the most prominent figures in the Republican Party. For years he was a faithful ally of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), who will face Harris in the elections on November 5, although the relationship soured when the governor competed in the party primaries that the former president ended up winning. .
Last week Trump even claimed that the Executive was not responding to the destruction and that the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, was trying to call Biden on the phone and could not speak with him, but Kemp himself, of the Republican Party, denied immediately that this was true and, on the contrary, praised the federal government’s offer of help.
Harris considered that in times of crisis like the current one, it is “when those who call themselves leaders must put politics aside and put people first.”
For her part, Harris was forceful this Monday when referring to the incident with the governor of Florida. In statements to the media at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland, near Washington, he considered that in times of crisis like the current one, it is “when those who call themselves leaders must put politics aside and put people first.”
“People desperately need support right now, and playing political games during crisis situations, at the height of emergencies, is totally irresponsible and selfish. It’s just about political advantage,” the vice president said.
In addition to speaking with DeSantis, the US president spoke separately with the mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor, about the measures taken by the city, which is expected to be one of the areas most impacted by Hurricane Milton.
Biden asked the governor and mayor to “call him directly if there is anything that can be done” to continue supporting response and recovery efforts.
Florida, still trying to recover from the damage from Helene, is preparing for the largest evacuation since 2017 due to the threat of Hurricane Milton, which will cross almost the entire state from west to east starting Wednesday.
