Multiple casualties, power outage as Hurricane Milton hits Florida in US

Updated: Oct 10th, 2024


Hurricane Milton made landfall in Tampa Bay of USA’s Florida, and later weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds at 177 km/h after an hour, as reported by the local media.

Though the official number of casualties are yet unknown, local authorities suspect multiple lives lost due to the hurricane. The storm has left over 1 million houses without power, according to reports.

More than 5 million residents on Florida’s western coast were urged to leave the densely populated coastal area. Milton re-intensified on Tuesday to Category 5, the highest rating, with sustained winds at about 270 km/h in the centre.

More than 20 counties in the state issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders, and officials gave dire warnings to those under evacuation orders, reported a news agency.

Officials predicted the ‘life-threatening storm’ to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of Florida through Wednesday (local time).

The US National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center urged Florida residents to finalise preparing their families and homes ahead of Hurricane Milton.

“Now is the time to execute your plan and follow any evacuation orders from your local officials,” wrote Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on X, adding that “Your home can be rebuilt, your possessions can be replaced, but we cannot replace a life lost to the storm.”

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw warned that Milton ‘is the storm of the century’ and urged residents to evacuate.

The hurricane is “expected to bring multiple weather hazards such as high winds, deadly storm surge, tornadoes and heavy rain”, the Florida Division of Emergency Management warned on X, noting that “Power outages are anticipated statewide due to these hazards.”

“Beginning today, portions of the state will be experiencing tropical storm force winds, which means it’s unsafe to drive or be outside,” said the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The Florida National Guard activated approximately 5,000 service members for Hurricane Milton preparedness operations, while the Florida Department of Health deployed nearly 600 emergency response vehicles to support emergency evacuations and patient transport as needed, according to the updates on state preparedness efforts for Hurricane Milton released by DeSantis' office.

Florida is facing its largest-ever evacuation of emergency healthcare facilities due to Hurricane Milton, a Florida Department of Health spokesperson told a local news channel.

Airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Florida as the storm approaches.

Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida were closed on Wednesday “before higher winds are expected to reach Central Florida” and are likely to remain closed on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden on Monday approved the declaration of emergency in Florida, which is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Biden has postponed a planned trip to Germany and Angola and will instead focus on the preparations for the expected landing of Hurricane Milton in Florida.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)

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