Im Zusammenhang mit Hurrikan „Milton“ gibt es Medienberichten zufolge erste bestätigte Todesfälle im US-Bundesstaat Florida. Ein Tornado, der bereits vor der Ankunft des Sturms im St. Lucy County an der Ostküste Floridas wütete, tötete mehrere Menschen, unter anderem in einer Wohnwagensiedlung für Senioren, wie US-Medien unter Berufung auf den örtlichen Sheriff Keith Pearson berichteten. „Ich kann Ihnen sagen, dass es mehr als eine Person ist, die ihr Leben verloren hat und die wir bereits geborgen haben“, sagte Pearson. In der Wohnwagensiedlung seien etwa 200 Einsatzkräfte auf der Suche nach Menschen, die noch in der Anlage eingeschlossen seien. Auch Hunderte Häuser seien in dem County etwa 150 Kilometer südöstlich von Orlando „völlig zerstört“ worden, die meisten sollen sogenannte Mobile Homes sein.
Nach Angaben von Floridas Gouverneur Ron DeSantis wurden am Mittwoch mindestens 19 bestätigte Tornados gezählt. „Milton“ hat auf seinem Weg heftige Schäden hinterlassen. Besonders betroffen war ersten Berichten zufolge die Region südlich der Stadt Tampa an der Ostküste, die bereits vor dem Eintreffen des Hurrikans als Hochrisikogebiet eingestuft worden war. In der Stadt St. Petersburg stellte die Stadt nach einem Wasserrohrbruch das Trinkwasser ab. Zum Trinken, Kochen und Zähneputzen müsse Wasser bis auf Weiteres abgekocht werden, hieß es in einer Mitteilung der Behörden. Die Reparaturen würden beginnen, sobald dies für die Arbeiter sicher sei. In St. Petersburg leben etwa 260.000 Menschen.
Medien berichteten zudem über entwurzelte Bäume, umgestürzte Strommasten und Überschwemmungen in mehreren Städten Floridas. Mehr als 2,6 Millionen Haushalte in dem Bundesstaat waren ohne Strom, wie aus Daten der Seite poweroutage.us hervorging.
Wirbelsturm „Milton“ trifft auf Florida
Vorhersage für die nächsten Tage
Also in St. Petersburg, a crane collapsed on a construction site, the authorities reported. The roof of the Tropicana Field baseball stadium was also damaged. The stadium had been used as a staging area for first responders before the storm arrived, according to local media reports. No injuries have been reported so far in the two incidents.
Warning for heavy rain and flash flooding
The storm made landfall with sustained wind speeds of up to 193 kilometers per hour, according to the US Hurricane Center. Shortly before “Milton” hit the coast, it had been downgraded from the highest category 5 to level 4 and finally to level 3. The hurricane has now weakened to level 1, but the US hurricane center is still warning of heavy rain, destructive winds and the risk of flash floods in the state of Florida on Thursday morning. “Milton” will pass over Florida in the coming hours at a maximum speed of around 150 kilometers per hour and will continue to weaken over the Atlantic, the US authority said.
In addition, between 200 and 350 liters of precipitation per square meter, and in some cases even up to 450 liters of rain, are expected in north and central Florida. The authorities warn of high storm waves on the coast. There were flash floods in the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, reports the US broadcaster CNN.
Severe destruction is also expected beyond the coast. However, given the sheer size of the storm, warnings remained urgent. US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas described the situation on CNN as a “matter of life and death”.
Millions of people called to evacuate
Meteorologists predicted it could be one of the most dangerous storms in the state’s history. In addition to extreme wind speeds, heavy rain and dangerous storm surges are expected, which could cause widespread flooding.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of several coastal areas. Millions of people were asked to leave their homes and seek safety. Many responded to the call – there were reports of traffic jams and shortages of fuel and emergency shelter. Finally, the authorities asked people to barricade themselves in place (“shelter in place”) because safe evacuation was no longer possible.
Preparations were in full swing until the last minute. The US government initiated extensive relief measures to support the affected areas. The Pentagon mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to help with rescue operations and aid distribution. Emergency centers were also set up to ensure rapid assistance during and after the storm.
A week and a half ago, Storm “Helene” caused severe damage in Florida and several other states. Well over 200 people died. Given the arrival of “Milton,” many of those affected in Florida had no time to recover from the destruction.
Biden postpones visit to Germany
In view of the impending catastrophe, US President Joe Biden postponed his planned trip to Germany and Angola at short notice. Shortly before the hurricane hit, he again warned of the extreme strength of the storm. “It looks like the storm of the century,” he said at a meeting with key agency officials. Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the live televised meeting. Biden later addressed the population again to warn of the impending dangers.
Warning about misinformation
The US President also addressed the spread of misinformation. In recent weeks, “reckless, irresponsible and merciless” lies have been circulated that have unsettled people. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is at the forefront of this disinformation campaign, Biden said.
During his campaign appearances, Trump had, among other things, spread the conspiracy theory that funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Fema would flow to migrants without legal status in order to persuade them to vote illegally for the Democratic presidential candidate Harris. Biden firmly rejected this. The US President called false claims by Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene that the federal government controls the weather “more than ridiculous.”
It’s not often that Biden mentions Trump or other politicians by name in his speeches – this underscores how much the hurricane is becoming a political issue and playing a role in the election campaign. Less than a month before the presidential election on November 5th, polls show a very close race between Harris and Trump.
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