Panic returns to Florida due to second hurricane in 12 days

Still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, Florida is now preparing for the largest evacuation since 2017 before the arrival of “Milton”A ““extremely dangerous” hurricane category 4 which threatens to cross almost the entire state with catastrophic winds, storms, torrential rainsstorm surges and flooding. Forecasts indicate that it will be this Wednesday when the powerful hurricane hits the area of Tampa Bay.

“Milton”, a hurricane that strengthened in record time in the Gulf of Mexico until reaching category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, it was lowered this Tuesday to category 4.

Despite its downgrade, “Milton” has already made history going from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane – the maximum – in less than 24 hours, with winds which increased very quickly from 100 km/h to 260 km/h.

Faced with mandatory evacuation orders in at least seven counties on Florida’s west coast, thousands of people have already left their homes, flooding the roads in cars in the south and north of the state to escape “Milton.”

The effects of “Milton” have already been felt in Florida, even before its impact. A thousand gas stations in many parts of the state are running out of fuel before the rush of residents who abandon threatened areas and seek to fill their reservoirs.

In Fort Myers, Lee County, 70% of gas stations were out of fuel since Monday evening, even if several tankers are resupplying, particularly in the Tampa region.

It is expected that The eye of the hurricane will have an impact Wednesday evening in the Tampa Bay area of ​​Hillsborough County, located in the middle of the forecast track cone. The entire area is under a hurricane and storm surge warning, which could reach between 3 and 4.5 meters.

Shelters in the most exposed counties, like Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, are already fuller than during Storm “Helene,” but have not yet reached maximum capacity.

Faced with the massive and predictable influx of residents, Pinellas County announced that it had opened its doors. two additional shelters for the evacuating population.

Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, all on the west coast, are offering free bus service until 7 p.m. local time to transport evacuees to shelters.

Biden: “It’s a question of life and death”

“I urge all those on the path to hurricane ‘Milton’, that if they are under evacuation orders, you need to evacuate now. They should have evacuated by now. It’s a matter of life and death“. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, launched this Tuesday this serious warning before the arrival of ‘Milton’, to whom considered the worst hurricane to hit the state in a century.

Biden, who canceled a trip to Germany and Angola to stay in the United States and oversee the hurricane response, said the impact of ‘Milton’ could be “devastating”.

For her part, the mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor, declared this Tuesday during a press conference that “Milton” would be a “an event like no other” and that any loss of life can be “avoidable if people listen and evacuate.”

“Get out as quickly as possible. Don’t wait” Castor pointed out, to warn that a lot of misinformation is circulating that the city does not have enough resources to respond to Milton’s arrival.

“This couldn’t be further from the truth” as multiple local and federal agencies work “hand in hand” to ensure everyone’s safety “as we endure whatever Milton throws at us,” the advisor added.

In its latest bulletin, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that “today “This is the last day of preparation for Florida residents.” at home or evacuate areas indicated by authorities.

The danger of uncollected debris

The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantisrecognized this Tuesday that, while it was imperative that the debris left by Hurricane ‘Helene’ in its wake be cleaned before Milton’s arrival, so that it does not turn into projectiles, this did not been fully realized.

A problem to which the Tampa councilor also referred, stressing that “unfortunately, we ran out of time and we will not be able to remove the debris from the gardens”.

This is why Castor asked residents to transport debris not collected by the household waste collection service to their garages.

This Tuesday too The Port of Tampa Bay has ceased operations and will remain closed to incoming and outgoing maritime traffic until further notice.

The Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warned on Monday that “It’s time to prepare for the arrival of “Milton”. “If they tell you to evacuate, do so IMMEDIATELY!”, FEMA stressed.

Losses of millions of dollars

Florida is still trying to recover from the hurricaneHelene‘, which struck the northwestern region of the state 12 days ago and left behind a trail of destruction that Moody’s estimates to be around 11 billion dollars.

The impact of “Milton” could cause financial damage to up to $175 billion (nearly 160 billion euros), according to preliminary estimates.

“While it is too early to estimate insured losses,” the impact of a hurricane like Milton on one of Florida’s most populated areas “could result in double-digit losses and billions of dollars.” , according to statements by Wall Street analysts reported this Tuesday by the CNBC channel.

The figure for devastation and losses could be even more than 175 billion dollarsonce the eye of the hurricane makes landfall, likely in the Tampa Bay area on Florida’s west-central coast.