Hurricane “Milton” – tornadoes leading up to it killed people

While the eye of the storm continues, authorities continue to warn of heavy rain and high winds, especially in eastern and central Florida. Between 50 and 100 liters of rainfall per square meter are still expected in parts of the state. The US Hurricane Center also warned of storm surges on the West Coast.

Wind speeds reached up to 120 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. “Milton” moved towards the Atlantic Ocean and was downgraded to category one due to decreasing wind strength, but still produced heavy rain and storm surges. The hurricane was located about 75 kilometers southwest of Cape Canaveral, the rocket launch center of the US space agency NASA, on Thursday morning (CEST). A storm surge warning has been issued for the Tampa Bay area, including the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, the hurricane center said.

The eye of the storm struck Siesta Key, an island city of about 5,400 people off the coast of Sarasota, about 60 miles south of the greater Tampa Bay area. More than three million people live there. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed hope that Tampa Bay, once considered a potential target of the storm, would be spared major damage. According to forecasts, the water level on the coast could rise by up to four meters.

The hurricane spawned at least 19 tornadoes
The hurricane spawned at least 19 tornadoes and destroyed about 125 homes, most of them mobile homes common in the United States, DeSantis said. After the call for evacuation of millions of people in recent days, it is now too late for that. “It is too dangerous to evacuate safely at this time, so we need to shelter in place,” DeSantis said. Before the hurricane hit, many people had left their homes as a precaution.

One of the tornadoes believed to have been caused by the hurricane in Fort Pierce on Florida’s east coast resulted in at least four deaths at a seniors’ complex, TV station NBC News reported, citing local safety authorities. There were reportedly about 17 tornadoes in the area and 100 homes were destroyed. More than two million homes and businesses in Florida were without power, according to the PowerOutage.us platform.

People rescued from collapsed houses
In the west coast city of Palm Beach, emergency services rescued several people from collapsed buildings or cars overturned by the wind. According to the local fire brigade, several people were taken to hospital with injuries. After his devastating move through the US state of Florida, ‘Milton’ was back across the sea.

The evacuations clogged many area highways and left a quarter of Florida’s gas stations without fuel. More than 70,000 people have sought shelter in emergency shelters in Florida. The head of US disaster protection agency Fema, Deanne Criswell, told British broadcaster BBC Radio 4.

The Civil Defense Authority had brought large quantities of drinking water, millions of meals and other relief supplies and personnel to the area. The aid would not affect reconstruction efforts after the previous Hurricane Helene, authority head Deanne Criswell emphasized. At the Tampa Zoo, animals such as African elephants, Caribbean flamingos and pygmy hippos survived the major hurricane.

Hurricane Helene killed more than 200 people
Large parts of the southern United States recently experienced the deadly force of Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of destruction through Florida and several other states, killing more than 200 people. Both storms are expected to cause billions of dollars in damage.

US President Joe Biden was informed by emergency authorities about the initial effects of the hurricane, a White House statement said. Biden canceled his visit to Germany and a multilateral meeting of Ukraine at the US base in Ramstein due to Hurricane Milton. This was also seen in the context of the US presidential elections in early November, which pitted Biden’s deputy Kamala Harris against former US President Donald Trump. Trump had sharply criticized the crisis management of Biden and Harris.

Taylor Swift donates $5 million
Pop superstar Taylor Swift (34) has donated five million dollars (about 4.5 million euros) for the hurricane victims. The aid organization Feeding America said on social media that it is extremely grateful to the singer for her generous donation to help the victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton. The money would go toward providing food and other necessities and rebuilding communities.