Miami/Hurricane Milton has claimed the lives of at least 13 people and left a path of destruction as it passed through Florida that saw deadly tornadoes, severe flooding and where 2.9 million users still remain without power, in addition to causing estimated damage in up to 60 billion dollars.
However, authorities and those affected breathe with some relief because “it could have been worse,” according to Michael, a Fort Myers resident who evacuated before the hurricane’s arrival, told EFE.
Milton, which maintains the threat of storm surge, hit central Florida with torrential rains and strong winds, after making landfall this Wednesday night on the west coast of the state as a major hurricane, category 3, and winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour.
Six of the deaths occurred in St. Lucie County, on the Treasure Coast, the result of tornadoes related to Milton that forced 116 tornado warnings to be issued, according to the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis. .
Milton, now an extratropical phenomenon, left Florida after crossing the state from west to east
Milton, now an extratropical phenomenon, left Florida after crossing the state from west to east, although experts warn that the east coast may still experience intense rainfall and storm surge.
US President Joe Biden said yesterday that the measures implemented to save lives “made a difference”, but warned that it is still too early to assess the total damage caused by the hurricane.
Biden also urged his predecessor in office and current Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, to abandon disinformation about the government’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“Get a life, man. Help these people,” Biden said, addressing Trump directly during an appearance at the White House.
The National Weather Service had to declare an emergency due to flash flooding in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, on the central west coast of Florida, due to the intense rains that were recorded, with accumulated rain of more than 43 centimeters and powerful winds that uprooted trees and roofs.
The floods forced relief teams to rescue nearly half a thousand residents who were trapped in an apartment complex in Pinellas County in boats and special vehicles.
Nearly 7.3 million Floridians residing in fifteen counties had received mandatory evacuation orders, an evacuation reinforced with the message that it was a “matter of life or death,” as Biden conveyed on Wednesday.
Nearly 7.3 million Floridians living in fifteen counties had received mandatory evacuation orders, a “matter of life or death”
Claims for damages after the passage of Milton along the Gulf Coast of Florida could have an impact on insurers of between 50,000 and 60,000 million dollars, according to estimates from the sector, which is prepared to absorb these figures, according to the different estimates given to know this Thursday.
However, this cost will have repercussions on the global insurance industry, notes Insurance Business magazine, which brings the figure up to $60 billion.
While more than 3 million homes and buildings are still without electricity, the authorities announced fines of up to $25,000 for speculators and created a special telephone line for complaints.
The decision is a product of alerts of price manipulation and hoarding of basic goods that began before the arrival of the hurricane.
Authorities are also working quickly to restore power to millions of customers and replenish fuel supplies, DeSantis said Thursday at a news conference in St. Lucie.
“Fortunately, Florida, we prepare 50,000 power line installers across the state,” DeSantis said, emphasizing: “The bottom line is that we have to continue bringing fuel.”
The authorities announced fines of up to $25,000 for speculators and created a special telephone line for complaints
Most of the gas stations in the areas most exposed to the impact of the hurricane, such as Tampa Bay, are today with a shortage of fuel or without gasoline, due to the fact that hundreds of thousands of people filled their tanks to evacuate by road.
Milton leaves a state ravaged with serious flooding due to rain, destruction, deaths and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated, while it is still trying to recover from the damage from Helene, which entered northwest Florida on September 26 as a category 4 hurricane.
Helene left more than 230 dead and dozens missing, making it the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Katrina in 2005.
While Florida is counting the damage caused by Milton, the hurricane yesterday became an extratropical phenomenon in Atlantic waters, 320 kilometers east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, on the west coast of Florida.
