Hurricane Milton has strengthened to Category 4, according to the US National Hurricane Center Heading to the United States. The storm approaching the continent from the Yucatan Peninsula, It is expected to reach the Florida coast on Wednesday. State residents have already been warned that this will be the largest evacuation to occur in Florida in recent years. Hurricane Milton could have major impacts, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis BBC.
The new storm comes ten days after Hurricane Helen tore through the southeastern United States, killing at least 225 people and leaving hundreds missing.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm had already reached a speed of 240 kilometers per hour on Monday morning, and will reach the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday, and then it could continue its destruction in a northeasterly direction. The center warned residents that heavy rains and flooding could follow the path of Hurricane Milton starting Monday. Strong winds are expected to blow in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rainfall can reach 38 cm in some places, and waves up to 1.5-3.5 meters high can form in coastal areas.
Florida residents began preparing for the storm, sandbags were filled in the southern part of the state, and long lines extended in front of gas stations. The storm is not expected to weaken across the state, according to the governor's warning Monday. This may be the largest evacuation in the area since Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The effects of Hurricane Helen are far from over
As another hurricane approaches, the US government warns that the cleanup after Hurricane Helen could take years. Hundreds of roads remain closed in the affected areas, hindering the delivery of aid to settlements affected by the disaster.
At the end of September, Hurricane Helen made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging buildings and causing flooding and power outages in millions of homes. Deaths were reported in several states, including Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, but North Carolina was hardest hit by the storm.
US President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of five hundred additional soldiers in North Carolina, who will clean the rubble with thousands of volunteers and the National Guard. So far, the government has approved aid worth about $140 million, while Donald Trump accuses the president of not spending the amount on aid, but on migrants, and for this reason the head of the US Disaster Management Agency accuses the government. Republican presidential candidate misinformation.
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