The first residents in Florida returned to their partially destroyed homes on Friday. At the start of the weekend, a large number of returnees arrived – despite widespread power outages. At the same time some areas were flooded.
Biden announced a visit to the devastated areas on Sunday. Biden had already canceled a planned trip to Germany, including a mid-week summit on the situation in Ukraine at the US military base in Ramstein.
No major incident occurred
“Milton” became a category three hurricane Wednesday evening about 100 kilometers south of Tampa with sustained winds of 193 km/h. The storm weakened and moved offshore on Thursday night.
As the tornado moved over land, trees and power lines were downed, and homes were damaged and destroyed. In the coastal city of St. Petersburg, the storm covered the roof of a stadium. Earlier in the day, the highest alert level was in place, with officials warning of a once-in-a-century storm with absolutely catastrophic consequences.
The really big disaster didn't happen in the end. Nevertheless, according to the latest figures in the US media, at least 17 people died. According to U.S. officials, most of the deaths were not caused directly by the hurricane, but by the storm surge that “Milton” triggered before it made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast.
“Hit it really hard”
“It's been said that it's better to be safe than sorry – but if you look at the situation a little more closely, you can see that it hit us very hard,” a St Petersburg resident told AFP news agency.
In the city of Fort Pierce on Florida's east coast, four residents of a senior housing complex were killed by the tornado. “They found dead people in the tree,” said one of the townspeople. “I wish they had arrived safely.” The tornado lifted his 22-ton RV and threw it into the yard.
Even after the storm subsided, rescue and recovery efforts continued. The Coast Guard has reported an amazing rescue of a boat captain who was shipwrecked during a storm in the Gulf of Mexico and survived by clinging to a cool spot in the water.
Analysis: Climate change makes storms worse
A rapid analysis released Friday by the World Weather Attributes (WWA) research initiative concluded that due to climate change, precipitation in “Milton” was 20 to 30 percent higher and winds 10 percent higher than long-term estimates. Seasonal average atmospheric conditions and water temperature.
This is the second severe storm in two weeks: a few days ago, “Helen” crossed the southeastern part of the United States and caused destruction in several states. According to reports, more than 200 people died as a result of “Helen”.
Celebrities have pledged to help
Many celebrities in the US have already announced their support for the hurricane victims. Oscar winner Kevin Costner has released a song with his band Modern West for the first time in four years. All proceeds from “Find Your Way” will go to Hope Force International, an aid organization that helps rebuild affected areas, Costner announced on Instagram.
Other celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton and actor couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, have donated millions to victims of Hurricanes Helen and Milton.
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