Editor’s Note: The Ossining Human Rights Club is currently collecting sundries and supplies for hurricane victims. Please see Mr. Garone or Ms. Aguilar for details.
On Wednesday, October 9th, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida as a category 3 storm. 5 casualties came directly as a result of tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton in St. Lucie County, Florida. The destruction in Florida seems to predominantly come from the tornadoes that occurred even before Hurricane Milton made landfall. One tornado whipped through a retirement community taking the lives of many. According to a National Weather Service report, winds from a tornado were swirling as strong as 140mph. These disastrous winds ripped apart concrete walls and tore down roofs of houses in South Florida that had just been built. An additional 12 deaths have been confirmed after the storm made landfall.
A house destroyed by a tornado in Lakewood Park, Florida. Photo by Giorgio Viera
Hurricane Milton was a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event in Tampa Bay. The National Weather Service reported that places like nearby St. Petersburg received 1.5 feet of rain in 24 hours. This amount of rain has a 0.1% chance of happening at any time of year. The surplus of rain that Hurricane Milton brought has now caused widespread flooding in multiple counties.
The Florida counties that were hit the hardest by Hurricane Milton were Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota. Authorities made evacuation necessary in 15 Florida counties including the ones previously mentioned. President Joe Biden has announced that an estimated 50 billion dollars of damage was brought by Hurricane Milton. Hurricane Milton tore down houses and parts of buildings, flooded streets, knocked down trees, and separated pets from their homes. Winds going more than 100 miles an hour ripped off the roof of the Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Hurricane Milton also destroyed many homes and ripped off roofs. According to Marissa Para, an NBC news reporter, 12% of Floridians consider moving within the next year because of insurance costs and growing frustration with hurricane prevalence. 3 million people in Florida were without power because of Hurricane Milton. According to poweroutage.us electricity has been resurfacing. As of October 13th, only 500,000 people are without electricity.
The State of Florida has been actively trying to respond and recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The Florida National Guard and Urban Search have saved 1,400 people and 140 animals from the hurricane. The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office sent out US&R teams to rescue people who were caught in the hurricane. They have successfully rescued 349 people and 47 pets. The FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) has been helping out by clearing out trees, vessels, and debris from many roads, houses, and driveways. The FWC has also rescued 645 people from the hurricane. Governor Ron DeSantis is working hard to make sure Florida recovers from this year’s hurricane season.
References: https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/hurricanes/live-blog/hurricane-milton-aftermath-live-updates-rcna174988
https://poweroutage.us/area/state/florida
https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/weather/hurricane-milton-damage-florida.html
