The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said that Hurricane Milton, which is expected to arrive in Florida this Wednesday (9), could be “the storm of the century”.
“It looks like the storm of the century,” Biden said from the White House, according to CNN. “Many communities in the path of Hurricane Milton don’t have a moment to catch their breath between Helene and Milton, two historic storms in two weeks,” said the Democrat.
Helene was another hurricane that hit the southeastern United States at the end of September and caused more than 200 deaths and US$38 billion in material damage.
Biden asked the population of this American region to “follow all safety instructions as we approach the next 24 hours”. “It’s literally a matter of life and death,” he added.
About 5.5 million people are subject to mandatory evacuations in Florida counties this Wednesday, amid the countdown to the arrival of Hurricane Milton, triggering one of the largest evacuations in the state’s history, according to the Federal Agency of Emergency Management (Fema).
Around 30 counties, which comprise a densely populated area between Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers, issued mandatory evacuation orders for their populations, many of whom heeded the authorities’ request and left their homes until Milton passed.
Additionally, the state of Florida has set up dozens of shelters in schools and other protected facilities, as well as several mega-shelters, which can serve thousands of evacuees.
Evacuations began this week with images of thousands of vehicles leaving the Tampa area and causing traffic jams on highways in the state, which has eliminated tolls to make it easier to exit danger zones, where coastal waters are expected to rise up to 14 feet.
Authorities recalled the importance of immediate evacuation, before Milton hits the west coast of Florida in the next few hours, with winds approaching 250 km/h, torrential rain and rising sea levels.
The update released this morning by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicated that Milton had weakened somewhat, becoming a category 4 hurricane (out of a maximum of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds of 250 km /h, and was about 255 miles southwest of Tampa.
At a press conference, the governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, also warned the population in other regions of the state.
“If you are on the east coast of Florida, please know that this event is not exclusive to the west coast. The biggest effects will certainly be in the west, but there will also be in the interior and on the east coast”, he stated.
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