Another hurricane could slam into Florida this week, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall over the state and left a trail of devastation across the southeastern United States.
Tropical Storm Milton is forecast to “quickly intensify” as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico and become a “major hurricane” when it reaches the Florida Peninsula mid week, the National Hurricane Center said in a Sunday morning advisory. Residents have been warned of the possibility of storm surge, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding.
Here are the Key Messages for Sunday late morning for Tropical Storm #Milton – people are encouraged to follow along for the latest updates at https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ pic.twitter.com/gn1Rc35zbw
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 6, 2024
“We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Milton, which has the potential to become a major hurricane,” Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said in a post to X. “Current estimates forecast landfall sometime Wednesday afternoon — there is still time to prepare your homes, organize your disaster plan, and implement plans to keep yourself and your family safe.”
Desantis added, “We’ve mobilized state assets to supplement local governments in an unprecedented debris removal mission for areas that suffered damage from Hurricane Helene and are currently in the projected path of Milton. Local debris sites must be open 24/7, and we have hundreds of personnel on the ground assisting in removal.”
We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Milton, which has the potential to become a major hurricane.
Current estimates forecast landfall sometime Wednesday afternoon—there is still time to prepare your homes, organize your disaster plan, and implement plans to keep yourself… pic.twitter.com/UmEyZlyuRf
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 6, 2024
Hurricane Helene hit Florida as a “major” Category 4 hurricane late last month, and its remnants swept across Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. At least 227 people died, towns were destroyed, and millions of people lost power, cell phone service, and running water. Recovery efforts are still underway, with a great deal of scrutiny being placed on the federal response.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) revealed last week that whistleblowers were accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of misappropriating taxpayer dollars and leaving first responders on the ground without orders. This followed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warning that FEMA lacked resources to provide aid for the remainder of hurricane season.
Hurricane season is ramping up just weeks ahead of the 2024 presidential election, in which former President Donald Trump is facing Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House race. Trump has criticized the federal response to Helene while taking jabs at President Joe Biden and Harris. All three of them have visited states that were struck by the storm in recent days.
