Cleanup work is underway after Hurricane Milton hit Florida. The number of deaths could still rise – and the government in Washington is worried about a number of false reports.
Hurricane Milton caused significantly less destruction than feared. Fortunately, in the words of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it wasn't the “worst case scenario.”
When the storm made landfall, its center was not at the level of the city of Tampa, as predicted, but around 100 kilometers further south. In many places, the tidal waves were only one to two meters high instead of the feared four meters. In addition, after the experiences with Hurricane Helene, authorities and residents were apparently better prepared this time:
“The fact that they were prepared for the worst meant that they were able to adequately deal with what came,” FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told CNN.
Entire areas of land under water
Nevertheless: The destruction that remains is, in their words, bad enough. Entire areas of the country and countless streets are under water, houses are covered or completely destroyed, trucks are overturned on country roads, trees are uprooted. The power supply remains interrupted in many places. And there were at least eleven deaths, mostly from tornadoes, which often develop parallel to hurricanes.
The number of victims may still rise. “It is important to remember that many people die after such storms,” emphasizes the head of the National Hurricane Center Michael Brennan – for example from electric shocks or sudden subsequent flash floods. Brennan's advice, especially in areas with curfews still in effect: “Do not go outside until local authorities tell you it is safe to do so.”
“The water rose and rose”
In the small town of Lakeside, for example, residents of so-called trailer parks, where poorer families in Florida, often of Latin American origin, live in containers and caravans, were hit particularly hard. “They told us that we didn't have to leave here, that we would be safe,” says Manuel Mejiya on the PBS television station. “But then the hurricane came, the water rose and rose, we were trapped, it was too late to get out.” Now he and his family are safe.
Former soldier Jeremy Locke and his aid organization Aerial Recovery were among the rescue teams that were still in action on the night of the storm. “This one operation last night – we went to this house, it was after midnight, cold, heavy rain, the water was up to our chests, then we took this two-year-old child out through the window, along with the pregnant mother and the father,” he describes a particularly dramatic action on CNN.
Trump fired up Hoaxes
The government in Washington is still concerned about false reports, especially on social media, about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For example, the request not to leave endangered areas because FEMA would allegedly confiscate houses and properties.
Former President Donald Trump fuels such rumors. At a campaign speech in Detroit, he said that after “Helene” and “Milton,” the Republican governors of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina were “doing a fantastic job,” but the federal government under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was not.
President Biden said at a press conference at the White House that anyone who spreads such lies undermines people's trust in the rescue and relief operations. When asked by a reporter whether he had spoken to Trump personally about it, Biden exploded. “Are you kidding?” Biden asked, then said, “Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, don't you have anything better to do, man? Help these people!”
