Storm Milton caused ‘once in a thousand years’ rain, at least 16 people died

Storm Milton left a trail of destruction as it swept across the state of Florida in the southeastern United States, leaving millions of people without power during a night of heavy rain and wind.

Photo taken by a drone shows a bulldozer cleaning up debris on the road after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Matlacha, Florida on October 10 – Photo: Reuters

On October 10, Hurricane Milton moved across central Florida after making landfall on the state’s west coast a few hours earlier, causing deadly tornadoes, destroying homes and causing about 3 million customers to lose power.

After a night of destruction in Tampa Bay, the eye of Hurricane Milton is moving across the Florida peninsula and away from the east coast, meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.

According to the latest update from CBS News, as of this morning, October 11 (Vietnam time), the storm has left at least 16 people dead. In addition, nearly 1,000 people were rescued, according to CNN.

Downgraded but still dangerous

In the city of Fort Myers on the southwest coast of Florida, Connor Ferrin went to check on his house that had lost its roof. The surrounding area was full of debris and rainwater after a sudden tornado struck.

“Everything happened in a flash, as fast as when the window was blown out. I grabbed my two dogs and ran under the bed and that was it. Maybe in just a minute,” he recounted.

According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, storm Milton brought at least 19 tornadoes that caused damage in many counties, destroying homes. As of 7:00 p.m. on October 10 (Vietnam time), at least four people died in Florida and this number may increase.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that storm Milton made landfall around 8:30 pm on October 9 (US eastern time) with level 3 intensity (on the 5-level Saffir-Simpson storm scale), with strong winds. maintained up to 195km/h near Siesta Key, Florida. Before landing, there were times when this storm became level 5 – the highest level.

By the morning of October 10 (local time), when the wind dropped to 150km/h, storm Milton was downgraded to level 1 but was still dangerous. “Very heavy rain and destructive winds continue in many parts of central Florida. A flash flood emergency remains in effect,” the NHC warned.

According to Poweroutage.us, at least 2.8 million households and businesses lost power in the state of Florida by the end of October 9 (local time), and this number surpassed 3 million on the morning of October 10. 10. Airports in Tampa and Sarasota are closed until further notice.

In cities across Florida’s west coast, winds were howling and rain was pouring. In Sarasota, near the town of Siesta Key, strong winds blew away glass panels from buildings in the area.

Many roads are deserted, while trees lean almost horizontally, barely able to withstand the hurricanes. Businesses were closed and reinforced with sandbags. On a wooden board fixed to the window of an old red brick building, someone had written “Be nice, Milton!”.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management urged people to shelter in place and stay alert for flooding, tornadoes and high winds. Gov. Ron DeSantis also issued similar guidance and said search and rescue teams will be working diligently.

Hundreds of billions of dollars in damage

Hurricane Milton made landfall just two weeks after another major storm – Helene – devastated Florida and other states in the southeastern US. With at least 235 deaths, Helene is the second deadliest storm to hit the continental US in more than half a century after Hurricane Katrina – the storm that devastated Louisiana in 2005, claiming nearly 1,400 lives. People.

Normally, storms in the Gulf of Mexico begin to form in the east and move west or just north, but storm Milton moved east-northeast. The storm’s path affects the west coast of Florida – where the cities of Tampa, St.Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers are located.

Tampa, a metropolitan area of ​​about 3.1 million people, hasn’t been directly hit by a major storm in more than 100 years, but this week Tampa was in Milton’s direct path.

The Tampa metropolitan area recorded 3 – 5 inches (76 – 127mm) of rain per hour after the storm made landfall. CNN reported that the St. Petersburg city area witnessed “once in a thousand years” rainfall. The city recorded more than 16 inches (406mm) of rain in just three hours – equivalent to the average rainfall of more than three months combined.

Storm Milton causes ‘once in a thousand years’ rain, at least 16 people die – Photo 6.

A resident looks around his destroyed house after a tornado in Fort Myers City, Florida (USA) October 9 – Photo: AFP

Police Chief Pearson declined to provide information on the number of deaths, only saying rescue teams were focusing on “recovery” after the storm. “This is the beginning of the storm” – Mr. Pearson commented, noting that the road to recovery ahead is still long.

According to information from the White House, US President Joe Biden was informed about the “initial impacts” of storm Milton. He said there are 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to be delivered to affected areas after hurricanes Milton and Helene. The Pentagon has also arranged search and rescue teams, helicopters…