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Intensifying to Cat 5, Milton targets Florida; FEMA head slams 'dangerous' misinformation
Intensifying to Cat 5, Milton targets Florida; FEMA head slams 'dangerous' misinformation
By Gerard Martinez, with Lucie Aubourg in Orlando and Michael Mathes in Washington
Treasure Island, United States (AFP) Oct 7, 2024

Hurricane Milton exploded in strength Monday to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, threatening the US state with a second ferocious hurricane in as many weeks.

Milton, which is forecast to batter Mexico's Yucatan peninsula as it churns eastward, rapidly intensified to the highest category on a scale of five, triggering evacuation orders and warnings of savage conditions on Florida's west coast.

Communities hit by Hurricane Helene, which slammed Florida late last month, raced to remove debris that could become dangerous projectiles as Milton barrels in.

"Last time, people's cars were underwater... but the bigger issue this time is going to be the wind," said David Levitsky, a retired homeowner on Treasure Island, in Pinellas County.

Residents on the low-lying island have been piling up debris from Helene's flooding in their front yards for removal.

"All this stuff is just wind fodder that's going to just be blowing down the street and hitting who knows what," the 69-year-old told AFP.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm's maximum sustained winds were near 180 miles (285 kilometers) per hour.

"Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," it warned.

Florida authorities have issued mandatory evacuations orders for areas including some parts of Tampa, a metropolitan area of more than three million people that could take a direct hit.

"If the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years," the National Weather Service said.

A major storm surge for Florida's west coast is forecast for Tuesday night or early Wednesday, and Tampa could suffer an influx of water between eight and 12 feet (2.4 to 3.6 meters) above ground level.

- 'A ferocious hurricane' -

Governor Ron DeSantis has declared 51 of Florida's 67 counties under a state of emergency, saying that Milton will "remain a hurricane at some level" as it passes through the state and exits on its east coast.

"This is a ferocious hurricane," he said. "You do have time to get out. So please do it. Please execute that plan now, if you are in one of those danger zones."

Rainfall of 10 inches (25 centimeters), with localized spots of up to 15 inches, are expected to cause severe flash flooding.

In the central city of Orlando, under gray skies, hundreds of cars lined up to collect sandbags.

"We might evacuate, me and my pets, we might go to Georgia," Tony Carlson, 32, told AFP. "People think it's going to be pretty bad."

Maria Torres, 29, said her family was not planning to leave, but had prepared with a generator, food and water.

In Mexico's Yucatan, workers boarded up glass doors and windows, fishermen hauled boats ashore and schools were suspended.

"Torrential rains and winds are expected," President Claudia Sheinbaum warned on X.

In the southeastern United States, emergency workers are still struggling to provide relief in the aftermath of Helene, which killed at least 230 people across several states.

Rescue and recovery efforts after Helene have been hit by politically-motivated false claims ahead of the November 5 presidential election.

Among disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican candidate Donald Trump that funds have been misappropriated by his election rival Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants.

Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), dismissed the claims as fake.

She also warned Monday that "these storms are bringing more water than they ever have and so while we have the wind risk, the water is what's killing people."

Researchers say climate change likely plays a role in the rapid intensification of hurricanes, because there is more energy in warmer oceans for them to feed on.

Hurricane Helene hit the Florida coastline on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, dumping rain and causing massive flooding in remote inland towns in states further north, including North Carolina and Tennessee.

The storm was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the US mainland since 2005's Hurricane Katrina, with the death toll still rising.

The White House said President Joe Biden was being regularly briefed on Hurricane Milton and that he had mobilized extra resources and personnel to prepare for its impact.

Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
Washington (AFP) Oct 7, 2024 - Another potentially devastating storm barreled toward the Florida coast on Sunday, as the head of the US disaster relief agency lashed out at a "dangerous" misinformation war being waged over the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The new storm, Milton, intensified into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday while churning in the Gulf of Mexico, with nothing but warm ocean between it and the Florida coast -- an area still reeling from Helene's catastrophic winds and storm surge.

"Right now, we are still cleaning up from Helene," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN, adding that imagining rain from a new storm was "difficult enough, not to mention the storm surge and wind damage."

Milton's exact path was still not clear Sunday, but officials across Florida were already warning residents to be prepared, with the storm expected to intensify into a major hurricane on Monday before approaching the state's west coast Wednesday.

Officials are issuing mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Pasco County and Anna Maria Island near Tampa starting Monday, while a handful of other counties have told some residents or those in certain types of buildings, like long-term healthcare facilities, to evacuate.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared 51 of the state's 67 counties under a state of emergency, predicting Milton could have "major, major impacts," with storm surges of up to 20 feet (six meters).

President Joe Biden was briefed on Milton and said in a statement that his administration was readying "life-saving resources."

Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said on ABC that federal authorities were ready for Milton.

Milton is forecast to move just north of the Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of Mexico Monday and Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center said.

- Disinformation blitz -

A week and a half ago, Hurricane Helene roared into the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm and carved a path of destruction inland, dumping torrential rainfall and causing flash flooding in remote towns in states such as North Carolina.

The storm, which struck Florida on September 26, has killed more than 225 people across a handful of states -- making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005's Hurricane Katrina -- with the toll still rising.

Relief workers are racing to find survivors and get power and drinking water to remote mountainous communities.

But that effort has been hit by a wave of false claims and conspiracy theories.

Among the litany of disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that relief funds have been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants.

"It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people," Criswell told ABC.

It is a "truly dangerous narrative," she said.

The Trump campaign nevertheless doubled down, repeating the assertion in a statement Sunday.

FEMA and outside fact-checkers note that a program under the agency's aegis to provide shelter and aid to migrants is funded directly by Congress, entirely separate from disaster-related funding.

ABC reported that law enforcement officials are monitoring threats toward FEMA officials and other recovery agencies prompted by the disinformation.

In addition to Trump's false claim, the Washington Post reported Sunday on other lies swirling around Helene that it said were "adding to the chaos and confusion."

They include a false claim that a dam was about to burst, which the Post said prompted hundreds of people to unnecessarily evacuate, and a "troubling" lie that officials planned to bulldoze bodies under the rubble in one North Carolina town.

One user suggested "a militia go against fema" in a post on X, formerly Twitter, which has received more than half a million views.

Asked about that post, Criswell said it "has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there."

FEMA has begun debunking the rumors online, as have North Carolina authorities.

Much of the focus was on X.

Before the platform was purchased by Elon Musk, when it was still known as Twitter, it was a go-to place for disaster coordination and information sharing.

But the billionaire has allowed right-wing disinformation and conspiracy theories to flood the platform.

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