Thousands evacuated Florida ahead of powerful Hurricane Milton: “It’s a matter of life or death”

Less than a week after the devastating passage of Hurricane Helen, which left 227 people dead, thousands of people have begun mass evacuations due to the threat of the next big storm. Milton is a Category 4 hurricane that could cause another wave of destruction and death in Florida. The forecasts are not good. It is suspected that this is so The most powerful storm to hit the southern state’s west in a century.

that’s fear Highways have already collapsed in many parts of Florida And especially those who come out tampaThe city of about 400,000 residents may be most affected by Milton’s passage. The city’s airport is closed and more than 1,500 flights have been canceled 5,000 prisoners have been transferred to other jails. Far from the path of the cyclone, which is expected to cross the state from coast to coast before reaching the Atlantic Ocean again to the east.

Mayor of Tampa, jane caster, issued a mandatory evacuation order after declaring a state of emergency following the destruction caused by Helen. He has also told that these instructions of the officials should not be taken lightly. “I can say without being dramatic at all that if you decide to stay in one of those evacuation zones you are going to die,” he told CNN.

chairman Joe Biden also talked about “a matter of life and death” If residents do not leave the area before the storm hits Wednesday night, it could be “one of the worst in 100 years.” The President has been forced to postpone a trip to Germany and Angola to monitor Milton’s situation from the White House, as confirmed by his press secretary. Karin Jean-Pierre. “Given the projected trajectory and intensity” of the storm, the President preferred to remain in the United States.

Biden visited Florida a few days ago to personally see the devastation caused by Category 4 Hurricane Helene, which left people dead in six states in addition to thousands of destroyed homes, impassable roads and severe loss of power service. Was. “And I know this isn’t the first time. About a year ago, a major hurricane hit these same communities. A few months ago, Hurricane Debbie did the same. Three in a row. Three in a row. They’ve been through hell. “Three in a row,” the Democratic president said. The fourth catastrophe seems imminent.

Milton is expected to diminish in strength before making landfall somewhere along Florida’s west coast, although forecasts show it will double in size, affecting a wide area, including the Orlando area. The eye of Hurricane Milton, where the storm’s strongest winds are located, has been discharged Over 58,000 rays in just 14 hours, according to chris vagasky, Meteorologists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison described it as “amazing” and something they had never seen before in the Atlantic.

Wall Street analysts fear this The level of destruction reaches $175 billion in damage, That’s nearly four times the damage caused by Hurricane Ian two years earlier, when it was thought to be a once-in-a-every-20-year event.