In 2020, more than one million Colombians were registered in the state of Florida, in the United States. This state is being strongly affected by the influence of Hurricane Milton and a Colombian spoke with EL TIEMPO about how these moments of uncertainty are experienced in the region.
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Images have shown how the hurricane has been threatening this coast of the United States with strong winds and prolonged rain for several days. Tampa, before the hurricane made landfall a little further down the peninsula, was going to be the territory most affected by the disaster.
‘We were recovering from Helene and now Milton arrived’
Omar Piñeros, in a talk with Fernando Ariza, told how he experienced Hurricane Milton. The man described this phenomenon as the worst he has experienced in the 25 years he has lived in Florida. According to him, the atmosphere in his house is one of uncertainty due to the multiple alarms that have gone off throughout the day.
“Right now we are receiving the blows in central Florida,” he mentions while explaining that, although it is half an hour from Tampa, in the community of Odessa, the hurricane has directly affected them. “We get alarms every moment about possible tornadoes,” he said when an alarm rang loudly on his cell phone.
However, the man regrets because recently, that area of the country was strongly affected by the passage of Hurricane Helene, which left a high death toll and various havoc in Florida. “Helene didn’t touch us directly, she went from one side and caused quite a few losses.”
This time, he assures, the authorities are very attentive to the evolution and the rescue of the affected people. Because of this, they were able to prevent the arrival of the disaster: “Where I am, I did not have an evacuation order. “We take the appropriate measures with power supplies, batteries and flashlights,” he assures.
Despite being indoors, strong winds and rains affect him directly, so he also had to take precautions with the infrastructure of his home. “What we did at my house was shield it with some tiles and store everything in a corner where it would not represent danger” says about its security measures.
His house became a home for acquaintances and pets who were looking for shelter. “In my house, approximately, there are between 12 to 14 people and four dogs,” mentions as a strong blizzard interferes with the microphone recording.
Although it is a territory where, according to the authorities, the eye of the hurricane will not directly impact, the Piñeros family has had several problems with the electricity supply and, Omar mentions, “The important thing is that people have continued the orders” designed to deal with a possible tragedy.
Even in the uncertainty and chaos, they think about their neighbors and the rest of the region that, according to him, is without power. “Right now, we are fortunate because we have electric service. I hope the rest of the families have the same luck.”
“We have been sheltered, we are feeling strong winds, strong knocks on the windows,” Piñeros assures that, at the end of the interview, he sends a message of tranquility to the family members who have been monitoring the evolution and the impact on their home from Colombia.
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