Hurricane Milton: more than 3.2 million people without power, thousands of evacuees and at least 4 dead, the provisional balance left by the cyclone as it passes through Florida

Hurricane Milton: more than 3.2 million people without power, thousands of evacuees and at least 4 dead, the provisional balance left by the cyclone as it passes through Florida
Hurricane Milton: more than 3.2 million people without power, thousands of evacuees and at least 4 dead, the provisional balance left by the cyclone as it passes through Florida

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption, Large areas of the state of Florida have ended up flooded by rising tide and heavy rainfall.
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  • Author, Writing
  • Author’s title, BBC News
  • October 10, 2024, 14:57 GMT

    Updated 15 minutes

Hurricane Milton has hit the US state of Florida hard.

According to the authorities, the passage of the cyclone has left at least 4 dead and more than 3.2 million people without electricity service. Some 80,000 people had to spend the night in shelters.

And although the hurricane is already in Atlantic waters, after crossing Florida from west to east on Wednesday night, there are now concerns about the flooding it has caused in much of the center of the state.

“Please do not go out on the streets and roads”requested the director of Florida Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, who indicated that rescue teams are working in the most affected areas.

According to the forecasts of the National Hurricane Center (CNH), Milton will now head towards Bermuda, where will end up becoming a tropical storm.

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“The worst scenario did not come true”

Although he admitted that it would be in the next few hours when “we will have a better idea of ​​the extent of the damage” left by the hurricane, Florida Governor Ron De Santis assured that the worst scenarios have not come to pass.

So far, the deaths of four people have been reported in St. Lucie County, on the west coast of the state, due to tornadoes prior to the hurricane’s entry. It has also been reported that some 200 people have needed to be rescued in several areas, while a hospital has been evacuated.

De Santis’ encouraging forecasts were confirmed by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who in a press conference assured that the city had not suffered major damage or deaths.

Castor attributed this to the passage of Hurricane Helene a few days ago.

“When people see firsthand the power of Mother Nature, it’s very shocking, literally and figuratively. And that’s why I think people heeded the warnings, evacuated and stayed safe,” he added.

A part of a collapsed building in Saint Petersburg, after a crane fell on it.

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption, A crane fall affected the offices of a local newspaper in Tampa.

Until now, in addition to the foreseeable falls of trees, traffic lights and light poles, and flooding in numerous streets and highways, local media are reporting damage to infrastructure.

St. Petersburg’s Tropicana baseball stadium, home of the Major League Bay Rays team, lost a large part of its roof due to the strong winds of the hurricane. Meanwhile, the headquarters of the local newspaper Tampa Bay News was damaged by a falling crane.

Likewise, the water supply system has had to be interrupted due to the damage it has suffered, which has left residents in the area without drinking water.

Hurricane damage in Bradenton, Florida.

Image source, EPA

photo caption, Hurricane damage in Bradenton, Florida.

Local authorities have recommended all residents to boil the water you use for drinking, cooking, and brushing your teethwhile carrying out repair work.

DeSantis also reported that the Tampa International Airport, which closed earlier this week before the arrival of Milton, has suffered damage, although he described it as “minimal” and assured that it should restart its operations this Friday.

Everything indicates that the hurricane It hasn’t been as devastating as Helene a few weeks ago.

Tampa stadium without part of its roof

Image source, Getty Images

Aerial view of a flooded area in Florida.

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption, The authorities have asked the inhabitants of the affected areas not to leave their homes and especially not to enter flooded areas.

“Be careful with the water”

President Joe Biden and Governor De Santis have asked citizens to avoid driving through flooded areas.

“Help is on the way, but until it arrives, stay where you are until local authorities say it’s safe to leave,” Biden said in a message on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

For his part, De Santis asked citizens not to walk through the waters left by the hurricane due to the dangers posed by downed power lines and pollution.

Bill McDaniel, director of the Plant City public service company in Tampa, spoke in similar terms hours before, warning about the risks of contamination.

It is not known what is in that water. “Our sewage stations are overcrowded, there is gas, oil and other contaminants mixed in this water,” he warned.

To prevent onlookers from approaching the affected areas, the authorities of some counties such as Saint Petersburg announced the closure of all roads and land routes to access the town, due to the “dangerous conditions”.

Rescuers on a raft help a person.

Image source, Getty Images

photo caption, Almost fifty people had to be rescued in the first hours after the hurricane.

A huge operation

Before Milton’s arrival, the American authorities had launched a large operation, which included evacuation orders and the deployment of thousands of agents.

The Tampa Bay metropolitan area was placed on high alert and part of its three million inhabitants were ordered to evacuate.

President Biden assured that he had deployed thousands of federal troops to areas affected by the storm, including more than 1,000 Coast Guard membersreported the American network NBC.

Likewise, some 1,500 trucks with workers left this Thursday from Miami to affected areas with the mission of removing fallen trees, collecting dangerous debris and repairing power lines, BBC journalist Naomi Choy Smith reported.

Reconstruction efforts are expected to last some time.

A woman observes the damage caused by the hurricane.

Image source, Reuters

photo caption, A woman observes the damage caused by the hurricane.
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