Hurricane Milton destroys about 125 homes, leaving millions without power
The powerful Hurricane Milton continues to rage in the United States, about 125 houses were destroyed in the state of Florida as a result of a tornado, the regional Emergency Management Agency reported.
On Wednesday, October 9, in Florida there was registered at least 36 tornadoes as Hurricane Milton hit the coast. There were a total of 133 tornado warnings in South Florida, a state record. The head of the regional Emergency Management Agency, Kevin Guthrie, said that infrastructure on the east coast was destroyed. Most of the structures affected were mobile homes and senior living complexes.
Tampa, the third largest city in Florida, suffered “significant damage” – trees were downed and half a million people were left without electricity, said the city’s mayor, Jane Castor. In total, about 3.25 million Americans were left without electricity in central Florida. Authorities have warned that communications could be disrupted for weeks, and both state and federal resources are already being deployed to assist in the recovery. The US Geological Survey predicts that Milton could dramatically change Florida’s coastline.
Eyewitnesses spoke about the scale of destruction
“Hurricane Milton is one of the most powerful storms I have encountered while living in Florida,” quotes NBC Brian Martin, 22, of Casselberry. The man heard and saw several transformers explode.
Another eyewitness reported to TCPalm about the tornado encounter.
It looked like something very heavy was thrown from the sky and it flattened several houses.
The man helped evacuate people to safe places. “One of the last houses I visited looked like it had been torn in half. People were crying out front,” Anderson said.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane strength as it crosses Florida before leaving the Atlantic Ocean and gradually weakening. At the moment it has weakened to the first category.
Trump and Biden exchange accusations amid wildfire
Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania continued criticize the Joe Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helen and preparations for Hurricane Milton, calling them “the worst response since Hurricane Katrina.”
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The current American leader hastened to call Trump’s words a lie. “They’re saying people affected by these storms will get $750 in cash and no more. This is simply not true. They say the money needed to overcome this crisis is going to migrants. What an absurdity, this is not true,” Biden said indignantly. At the same time, Biden previously refused to provide additional assistance to Americans affected by Hurricane Helen. “We gave them everything we have. We are working hard,” he said at the time.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, writes that the hurricane season was one of the factors that had a significant impact on the election campaign in the United States.
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