Residents in the U.S. are tidying up following Milton's parade.
Hurricane "Milton" has departed, returning to the sea after causing havoc in Florida. Post-storm cleanup efforts have uncovered additional fatalities, with a total of at least eleven deaths confirmed. The latest casualty in Tampa was a lady in her 70s, who was found underneath a large debris. Authorities attribute her death to the cleanup activities following the hurricane. CBS News reports a staggering sixteen fatalities linked to the storm, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shares that around a thousand individuals were rescued from the storm-stricken area.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell, estimates that the damage caused by "Milton" in Florida is less than initially anticipated. Criswell plans to visit the state to inspect some of the devastation brought about by the tornadoes that occurred during the hurricane. She emphasized that the damage was significant, with 38 tornadoes leaving a trail of destruction.
Hurricane "Milton" hit Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday evening. As it continued its journey through the southeastern US state, the hurricane center reported that it had weakened to a Category 1 storm by Thursday morning, with winds reaching up to 140 km/h. It subsequently moved to Florida's east coast and then out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The aftermath of "Milton" was characterized by uprooted trees, flooded streets, and severe damage. The roof of the "Tampa Bay Rays" baseball stadium in St. Petersburg was destroyed, and a construction crane collapsed onto a building in the vicinity. In Clearwater, on Florida's west coast, rescue teams deployed inflatable boats to extract residents from flooded buildings, as water levels reached chest height in the streets.
Future of "Milton"
The U.S. National Hurricane Center has withdrawn all storm surge and tropical storm warnings associated with Hurricane "Milton". In its latest forecast, the service classified the storm as a post-tropical cyclone, expecting it to continue weakening.
The return of evacuees and relief workers is now underway. Traffic on Florida's Interstate 75, the primary highway, has become congested, with even drivers using the shoulder due to heavy traffic. Cars, cherry pickers, tanker trucks, porta-potties, and law enforcement vehicles from multiple sheriff's departments are among the vehicles moving southwards.
The primary challenge for those returning home is to assess whether their properties were destroyed or spared by the hurricane, now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Fuel scarcity was an issue, as numerous gas stations remained closed as far north as Ocala, two and a half hours away from the hurricane's landing site. Furthermore, approximately 2.6 million residents were still without power, according to data from the PowerOutage website as of last night.
US Politicians in Disagreement
Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris took aim at her Republican rival, Donald Trump, for criticizing the government's response to the aftermath of hurricanes "Helene" and "Milton". Harris argued that this was not the appropriate time for political confrontations, during a town hall in Las Vegas.
President Joe Biden was more forthright, posing a question to Trump, "Don't you have a life?" He urged Trump to concentrate on assisting those impacted by the storm instead of disseminating inaccurate information about the government's response. Biden denounced the "irresponsible, reckless, and relentless disinformation and brazen lies" that were still circulating.
The White House and Biden consistently refute Trump's false statements regarding disaster relief, such as the claim that funds are being diverted for illegal immigrants' aid.
"Milton" passed through Florida just two weeks after hurricane "Helene". "Helene" made landfall slightly further north and wreaked havoc across various southeastern US states. At least 237 individuals perished as a result of "Helene", with numerous structures being destroyed or damaged, and extensively flooded areas reported. "Helene" remains the most devastating storm in the region since hurricane "Katrina" in 2005.
The damaged baseball stadium in St. Petersburg is located in Florida. Despite the weakening of Hurricane "Milton" to a post-tropical cyclone, residents returning home might find their properties affected due to the storm.
