Following the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Milton last Friday, Florida has been immersed in extensive clean-up activities, which include clearing fallen trees, power lines, and nursing flood-damaged regions. The hurricane left a death toll of at least 16.
Despite not causing the anticipated catastrophic seawater surge in Florida, as previously witnessed during Hurricane Helene’s strike on various states two weeks prior, the restoration process in certain areas may require several weeks or even months.
One resident, 25-year-old Chase Pierce, expressed the event as a blunt reminder of nature’s power. Together with his girlfriend, they witnessed transformers explode, sparks flying, and the collapse of a backyard power line in west St Petersburg.
Hurricane Milton was historic as the fifth-most devastating Atlantic hurricane, with damages that could potentially cost insurance companies up to $100 billion (£74 billion), as forecasted by analysts.
The US government, led by the White House, assured public support though the full extent of the damage is yet to be established. However, Republican Donald Trump, trailing behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming November 5th Presidential election according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polls, took a swipe at his rivals over their handling of the hurricanes’ recovery operations.
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s approach, specifically concerning North Carolina’s response. North Carolina was greatly affected by Hurricane Helene, where Trump is set to have a fierce contest against Harris.
Harris responded to Trump’s claims during a town hall event on Univision last Thursday, expressing her disdain over the politicising of the recovery process. She reprimanded those who are using the hurricanes for political gains without explicitly directly naming Trump.
There is a heightened awareness among politicians from both political divides regarding ramifications of a perceived inadequate response to such disasters. This is drawn from former President George W. Bush’s experience where he never managed to revive his approval ratings following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Biden administration has indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would require extra financial aid from the Congress. The administration made an urgent plea to the recessed lawmakers from both the Republican-dominated House and the Democrat-led Senate to take speedy action.
In an unfortunate series of events, Floridians have endured two consecutive disasters recently. Milton made its landfall on Florida’s western coast on Wednesday night, although the majority of the damage it caused was seen 160km from this location, on the state’s eastern coastline. Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement, citing CBS News, confirmed at least 16 fatalities related to the hurricane.
Moreover, devastating tornadoes pre-empted by the storm caused several deaths in St Lucie County, with at least two fatalities reported in the senior residential communities within Spanish Lakes, local authorities said. From Siesta Key to Fort Myers Beach, initial analysis from the National Hurricane Center showed that the water levels surged to 1.5 to 3m above the ground level.
Late as of Thursday, about 2.75 million residences and commercial properties in Florida were still without electricity, as reported by PowerOutage.us. Several households and businesses had been without power for days following Hurricane Helene’s impact on the area. Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, although relieved that the state did not experience the “worst-case scenario”, acknowledged the significant damage caused by the events and urged caution. – Reuters
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