According to CCTV News, on the evening of the 9th local time and the morning of the 10th Beijing time, the Category 3 hurricane "Milton" made landfall 11 kilometers south of Sarasota Bay on the west coast of Florida, with winds of about 193 kilometers per hour. Currently, Milton has been downgraded from a Category 3 hurricane to a Category 2 hurricane.
According to data from the US power tracking website, as of 11:00 am Beijing time on the 10th, approximately 1.87 million users in Florida have experienced power outages due to the impact of the hurricane.
As of the evening of September 9th local time, Florida has issued at least 133 tornado warnings, breaking the record set on September 10th, 2017.
According to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, multiple locations in Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, have ordered the evacuation of 5.5 million people.
The day before, Milton was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane. The National Weather Service of the United States states that Milton may become the most severe storm affecting the Tampa Bay area of Florida in over 100 years.
On the 7th local time, US President Biden issued a statement declaring a state of emergency in Florida and ordering federal assistance to address the impact of Hurricane Milton on the state since October 5th. The US Department of Health and Human Services announced on the 8th that Florida has entered a state of public health emergency. This is the second time in the past two weeks that Florida has declared a public health emergency due to hurricane weather.
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5.5 million people evacuated
A supermarket was sold out
According to CCTV News, on the evening of the 9th local time, "Milton" landed near Sarasota Bay. In the Tampa Bay area of Florida, the rainfall exceeded 228 millimeters in just three hours. The National Hurricane Research Center in the United States stated that Milton could trigger a deadly storm surge and cause flooding in central Florida. The National Weather Service of the United States has issued a flash flood warning for the Tampa Bay area.
Previously, as "Milton" approached, many shops took protective measures or suspended operations. A supermarket in the Tampa Bay area of Florida was almost completely sold out.
According to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, multiple locations in Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, have ordered the evacuation of 5.5 million people. Many shops have taken protective measures or suspended operations. Evacuating traffic has caused severe congestion on highways.
Image from: CCTV News
Fuel market tracking company "Gasoline Partner" said that about 17% of Florida's nearly 8000 gas stations were sold out by the evacuation army. According to the Associated Press, as the hurricane approaches, Tampa International Airport and St. Petersburg Clearwater Bay International Airport have been closed, and Orlando International Airport, which has the highest passenger flow in Florida, suspended inbound and outbound flights on the 9th.
It is worth noting that on October 10th, "Milton" may lead to serious supply disruptions in the United States, as well as concerns about escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, causing crude oil prices to rise today.
As of press time, WTI crude oil rose 1.52% intraday to $74.35 per barrel, while Brent crude oil rose 1.38% intraday to $77.64 per barrel.
In addition, Caixin reported that according to Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research, the losses caused by Milton could reach 60-75 billion US dollars, which is a major disaster for the local area.
Melissa Seixas, President of Duke Energy Florida, stated that Helen had just destroyed hundreds of transformers at the company two weeks ago, and within less than 24 hours of repairs, Milton was welcomed back.
Fertilizer producer Mosaic, located in Tampa, added that Hurricane Helen caused it to shut down for about ten days last month, and earlier, Hurricane Francine in mid September affected the company's phosphate production and shipments.
Hurricanes are coming one after another, and the US government is exhausted from responding
The damage caused by Hurricane Helena, which hit many parts of the southeastern United States last month, has not yet recovered, and Milton has arrived. US media reports say that the successive hurricanes have exhausted the US government's response.
CCTV reporter learned on the 9th local time that since October 1st, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has spent about 9 billion US dollars on disaster relief work, and currently only 11 billion US dollars remain in FEMA's disaster relief fund balance.
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On the 7th, CNN reported that the US government was not prepared for Hurricane Milton to make landfall. On the 26th of last month, Hurricane Helena made landfall in Florida and ravaged multiple states in the southeastern United States, causing at least 235 deaths. Helen became the deadliest hurricane on the mainland of the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to American media, due to the delay in waiting for government rescue, some residents had to resort to self rescue.
The disaster relief work for 'Helena' is also progressing slowly, with a large amount of ruins and debris waiting to be cleared. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on the 7th that the cleanup work is the top priority, and once "Milton" strikes, various debris swept up by strong winds may harm people. Local residents are dissatisfied with the slow progress of the cleanup work.
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