Hurricane 'Milton' Hits Florida Coasts, Power Outages for Three Million People

The tropical storm 'Milton', classified as the second most powerful category five storm and the third storm with 'rapid intensification' in U.S. history, struck the western coasts of Florida early Thursday, October 11 (Middle Eastern time), two weeks after the formation of its 'eye' in the Atlantic Ocean. 'Milton', described as the most powerful tropical storm worldwide in 2024, devastated the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico just a day prior, killing at least six people and causing extensive damage to the coasts of that region. Despite Florida declaring a state of emergency on October 6 to cope with the storm's aftermath, the first hours of the storm's arrival saw power outages affecting three million people, with winds reaching approximately 200 kilometers per hour tearing off roofs of houses and the domed roof of the 'Tampa Bay' baseball stadium. Officials in St. Petersburg described the rainfall in the city as a once-in-a-thousand-year event, occurring over just three hours. Those evacuating their homes told local American media that they might return to find no home left. Reports of the destruction of dozens of houses came in during the early hours of the storm's impact. The National Weather Service issued urgent flood warnings for several areas in Florida, including Tampa Bay, which has about 3.3 million residents, with water levels rising up to four meters above ground. Flooding also occurred in the streets of Venice near Sarasota, with fallen trees reported. In St. Lucie, east Florida, rescuers are searching for retirees living in mobile homes along the coast, as Florida beaches are often home to individuals from other parts of the U.S. who choose the state for retirement. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been heading to safer areas on exit highways in recent days, and flights were canceled until Wednesday evening. Hurricane 'Milton', moving towards Florida at speeds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour, prompted the U.S. President to declare a state of emergency and dispatch 9,000 National Guard troops to assist in rescue operations. Joe Biden also postponed a pre-planned trip to Europe and Africa to address the storm's consequences. However, after 'Milton' made landfall in Florida, several cities halted emergency and rescue operations due to 'extremely high' dangers to personnel. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported at least 19 tornadoes identified in several cities, stating that at this stage, evacuation is 'extremely dangerous' and everyone should stay where they are and try to keep safe. Sheriff Keith Pearson in St. Lucie told local media that predicting which areas would be directly hit by the storm was 'much more difficult' than previous storms, 'like a bomb that can fall anywhere and at any time.' The storm's damages include destruction caused by accompanying tornadoes. Local officials stated that it is still too early to announce final casualties and damages. Florida was hit by 'Milton' while still recovering from the extensive damages of storm 'Helen', which was equally powerful and killed 230 people in Florida and neighboring states two weeks prior. The death toll from storm Helen has reached 215; Biden continues his trip to affected areas. After striking Florida, 'Milton' is now slowly moving towards the eastern U.S. coasts, with meteorologists stating its strength has diminished and it is leaving the U.S. It is expected that the storm will gradually weaken until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, but it will still bring flooding and rainfall along its path. Orlando is anticipated to be seriously affected by the storm on Thursday. Scientists have stated that hurricane 'Milton' is another sign of the concerning phenomenon of climate change, which has intensified not only the power of storms but also the speed of their formation. The wind speeds of hurricane 'Milton' increased to twice the previous standards for 'rapid intensification', suddenly classifying it as a category five storm.