US President Joe Biden warns that the storm could be the worst of the century in the region and orders evacuation
Hurricane Milton, which has strengthened and returned to being a category 5 hurricane (the worst), is approaching the west coast of Florida (United States). The NHC (US National Hurricane Center, in Portuguese) estimates that the storm will hit the region on Wednesday night (9.Oct.2024), local time, as a “extremely dangerous hurricane”possibly near Tampa. The city has more than 3 million inhabitants.
Meteorologists warn of intense rain, flash floods, strong winds and possible storm tides, which are recorded when sea water moves inland. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican Party) warned that practically the entire west coast of the state could be impacted by the storm, affecting cities such as Cedar Key, Tampa, Fort Myers and Naples.
President Joe Biden (Democratic Party) said on Tuesday (Oct 8) that all residents must leave areas that will be hit by Hurricane Milton.
“If you have been ordered to evacuate, you must leave your home now. You should have evacuated by now. It’s a matter of life and death,” Biden said in an appeal to Floridians.
“Hurricane Milton Warning 17: Milton remains a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. Forecast to make landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast tonight as a dangerous major hurricane”wrote the NHC this Wednesday (Oct 9).
Images from CIRA (Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric Research) show the intensity of Milton, with strong winds reaching up to 270 km/h. The epicenter of the hurricane, however, is not expected to touch the continent.
On Tuesday (Oct 8), NASA released a video of Hurricane Milton seen from space. The images were captured by the ISS (International Space Station).
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