Hurricane Milton is coming and Florida is preparing for a catastrophe. Milton, with winds of almost 250 km per hour, is a Category 4 hurricane – very close to 5 – and is expected to have a devastating impact on the state which has just been hit by Hurricane Helene. “It’s a question of life and death,” said President Joe Biden, addressing the population who risk being overwhelmed by the worst storm in the last 100 years.
Milton, according to the models, will touch down on the American evening of Wednesday 9 October. When the impact occurs, presumably the hurricane will have lost part of its power and will be category 3. However, it will have expanded compared to its current structure and therefore the impact front will be extremely broad.
The hurricane will particularly hit the areas of Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers, in the central part of the Gulf of Florida, hitting densely populated areas. “If Milton maintains its characteristics, it will be the strongest hurricane to hit Tampa in over 100 years,” the National Weather Service warned. According to forecasts, the hurricane will be accompanied by waves between 3 and 5 meters high: floods and flooding could reach dramatic levels, putting the lives of those who do not leave the coastal areas at risk.
The appeals to the population follow one another without interruption. The evacuation of risk areas is progressing, traffic on the motorway is intense and several petrol stations have run out of fuel.
From the TV, hour after hour, eloquent messages from meteorologists arrive. “The water will move houses, it will move cars. It will be catastrophic,” says Ginger Zee, head of meteorologists at ABC News. “People who live along the coast and don’t leave will risk their lives,” says Denis Phillips of the ABC affiliate in Tampa.
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