Hurricane Milton Creates Tragedy In Florida With Several Deaths

Hurricane Milton creates tragedy in Florida as several deaths have been reported. The west coast of Florida was already smashed with the hurricane’s entry as it was categorised with level 3 intensity.
Hurricane Milton previously wreaked havoc in Tampa Bay, Sarasota and the surrounding regions where Hurricane Helene hit. A total of 230 people were confirmed dead due to Hurricane Helene across the south region. Collection of debris was noticed after the destruction for which the municipalities had to make new arrangements for handling the damage.
President Joe Biden called Hurricane Milton as one of the deadliest “storms of the century”. He asked the citizens to follow the evacuation orders for maximum safety.
Hurricane Milton creates tragedy when a landfall was noticed near Siesta Key in Sarasota County. Powerful tropical winds, intense rains and tornadoes have been reigning in the region that has taken the shape of a fierce hurricane lately.
The landfall continued for 90 minutes and then downgraded to a category 2 hurricane. By early Thursday, it was expected to further demote to a level 1 storm with a maximum speed of the winds being 85 mph. It is predicted that it would leave the state near Cape Canaveral.
How hurricane season 2024 was predicted
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (Noaa) predicted that the season of hurricanes in 2024 would be more active than the previous ones. The average sea temperatures would be rising higher than before, most possibly due to global warming and human-caused climate changes.
Hurricane Milton was initially expected to be of category 5, the highest, but it weakened a bit when it touched the US coast. It further lost its strength from being a category three hurricane to category 1 after making landfall.

False news on social media is causing great havoc as the posts mentioned the government “engineered” the hurricane or Florida weather is being “manipulated”. The government denied all the claims and said that there is no technology in the world that could create or control hurricanes.
Several accounts on these platforms have been spreading false news about the US government controlling the vaccines for COVID-19 and spreading conspiracy theories without evidence.
The incoming of Hurricane Milton in Florida
The incoming hurricane was noted at 8:30 pm on Wednesday in a coastal community located south of Tampa, Siesta Key. The storm was witnessed to be 70 miles south of Tampa.
The situation in Tampa was notified on alert as a major emergency situation was detected soon after the winds turned into 16 inches of rainfall.
The National Weather Service warned of flash flooding in the region along with western and central parts of Florida. The staff asked the civilians to take precautions and stay at their homes.
The situation remained the same on Thursday and the officials asked people to stay at their homes due to trees on roads and blocked bridges resulting from extreme flooding.
The sheriff of Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, Chad Chronister posted a message on Facebook, “We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out”.

The actual destruction
Several media sources posted a video of a roof being ripped off due to the hurricane. The footage of the stadium’s doom is also trending over the news channels and social media, declaring Hurricane Milton as one of the most serious catastrophes in current times.
The stadium (Tropicana Field) was meant to be a base camp to support the Florida Department of Emergency Management before the hurricane actually hit the region.
A number of cranes were toppled on the roads and trees were blocking the areas everywhere due to the fierce winds that came with the hurricane. Before any more lives were lost in the winds or the things flying all around, the weather service again requested the people to stay inside.
The reports also mentioned that Plant City’s flooding was “absolutely staggering” which was corroborated by City Manager Bill McDaniel.
35 people were rescued by emergency crews overnight, confirmed by McDaniel since the city had drowned in 13.5 inches of rainfall. He said,
“We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community for my entire life”.
Hurricane Milton creates tragedy
More than three million homes and businesses have been devastated due to Hurricane Milton’s tyranny. Several businesses and people are now without power in the area which has caused a cut-off with the rest of the regions of the United States.
The number of deaths has not been exactly determined, however, the level of destruction is observed to be high.
Approximately 700 people took shelter in the gymnasium at River Ridge Middle/ High School before October 9.
The sheriff added to the reports that a modular home community that comprised 55 people was blown away by the tornado. The entire home was lifted and thrown away by the hurricane.
Along with other fatalities, a medical examiner in Florida concluded that four more people have been killed in St Lucie on Florida’s east coast.
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Significant damage is posed to homes and structures in St Lucie County along with the City of Port St Lucie.
Political ramifications of Hurricane Milton
US President Joe Biden blamed Trump for misinformation about the hurricane and relevant weather reports. He called it “un-American” as he was of the view that Trump had misreported the government’s rescue and recovery efforts.
Joe Biden admitted that hurricane Milton creates tragedy with the landfall in Florida, to which he accused Trump’s management of being “reckless, irresponsible and relentless” at times when people were in need.
He said, “Former President Trump had led this onslaught of lies”.
He added that Trump has not been fully honest about the government’s response to the hurricane and its preventive measures.
Biden also blamed a close ally of Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is also a member of the Republican House of Representatives. Biden remarked the promotion “even more bizarre” as if she is controlling the weather. Biden thought that it was ridiculous to think that way as several people’s lives were at stake.
Biden is clearly not satisfied with the performance of the Trump administration as he called it “terrible” and prayed for everyone who was affected so that God’s protection is with them.
Learning from hurricanes that would shape the political arena
The two hurricanes have had a massive impact on the upcoming electoral campaigns within the United States. It was observed that the federal government’s response was impeded by a great part of politicisation and misinformation which was mostly through online means.
Some people have praised the measures taken by Biden’s administration while others have criticised those of Trump. In addition, local governments were accused in several posts on social media that they are prohibiting citizens from helping others in need whereas, in reality, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has no funds to carry out their proposed recovery and risk mitigation plans for the hurricane.
Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator shunned all the wrong news that is spreading over the internet.
Another controversy initiated when Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis refused to take calls from Kamala Harris about hurricane relief. DeSantis’ response to major hurricanes in 2022 was helpful in winning a second term the same year. Now, he has spoken to Joe Biden instead.
In the same way, DeSantis denied the reports of raising to attend Harris’s calls, calling it another attempt for public drama over social media that could cause “political games”.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris has condemned the actions of Trump’s administration about misinformation about the hurricane. She proposed that the aid should have gone to the deserving people and those who are facing these desperate times.
She said that it is the responsibility on the shoulders of the leader to lead people the right way, however, Trump did not do so.
She claimed, “That’s why I call it dangerous”.
The ongoing rescue missions
The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, affirmed that more than 48 people have been rescued till now. The rescue mission began at 6:30 am local time.
He added, “National Guard search and rescue teams have worked overnight and successfully executed rescues of families and pets”.
The Tampa police department posted videos on their official social media pages about rescuing children from a house that was partially destroyed by a fallen tree.
More than 75,000 people were shifted to shelter during the night as the storm was getting out of control, he declared. With 125 active missions in 26 different counties, DeSantis was satisfied that the proposed rescue mission was taking place as expected. 6500 soldiers are on foot, day and night so that people are provided with all the necessary resources.
The government has been constantly making preparations for one of the largest evacuations in years. The disaster management authorities prepared the evacuation plan and instantly launched the orders.
Florida airports remained closed to tighten the security for the citizens. However, exceptions for aircrafts bringing aid and rescuing people were made based on the orders from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The current state of Hurricane Milton
The hurricane’s intensity is reported to have reduced to category 1 and has now exited Florida. However, there still is a high risk of flooding.
DeSantis was content that the storm did not trigger a more catastrophic form of the hurricane which was initially expected.
Nine confirmed tornadoes were recorded in Florida till 8 pm, Wednesday.
DeSantis explained that it would take days to assess the damages made by the hurricane, which is still expected to be near $60 billion.
More than 116 tornado warnings were made for Florida only, elucidated by DeSantis on Wednesday evening. However, the local authorities said that Milton’s arrival might not be as bad as was anticipated.
Where is Hurricane Milton expected to head?
Hurricane Milton tested the resilience of the people of the United States, particularly Florida just two weeks after Hurricane Helene had caused destruction. The recovery plans and relief camps were intact until now when the next hurricane came in.

Afterwards, it is expected to head towards the Atlantic Ocean in the late hours of the day.
The hurricane has also struck those areas that were targeted by Hurricane Helene previously, including Tampa. It had a population of nearly three million people being a wide metropolitan area. It was Siesta Key where the storm made the landfall.
DeSantis still warned people about post-hurricane hazards as they needed to clean up the city. The standing water and drowned pipelines need cleaning so that water systems are not restrained, without creating any further trouble for the city people.
He alerted people that standing water is breeding grounds for bacteria that would give rise to water-borne illnesses. If infections rise then fatalities and hospital admissions would take a flight, further causing a burden for the country’s economy.
FAQs
1. What is the current status of Hurricane Milton?
- Hurricane Milton has downgraded from a Category 3 to a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall in Florida. It has exited the state but still poses a flood risk.
2. Where did Hurricane Milton make landfall?
- The hurricane made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, Florida, on the west coast, south of Tampa.
3. How many people have been affected by Hurricane Milton?
- Over three million homes and businesses have been impacted, with widespread power outages and infrastructure damage. Several fatalities have also been reported, though exact numbers are still being confirmed.
4. What areas were most affected by Hurricane Milton?
- The hardest-hit areas include Tampa Bay, Sarasota, and regions previously impacted by Hurricane Helene. Severe flooding, building damage, and debris are widespread across western and central Florida.
5. What rescue efforts are underway?
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that National Guard teams and local agencies are conducting extensive rescue operations, with over 48 rescues completed. There are 125 active missions across 26 counties.