Over two million people are without power in the United States as the Southeastern part of the country faces yet another hurricane, a Category 3 storm, making landfall in Florida this Wednesday.
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Not mere weeks following the destruction and devastation that Hurricane Helene brought to six states across the United States, another hurricane, Milton, barrelled into Florida this Wednesday night.
U.S. President Biden says this could be the largest natural disaster in the past 100 years. The damages from Hurricane Helene reached across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, racking up a death toll of at least 230 individuals. Following the 2,975 fatalities from Hurricane Maria in 2017 and 1,392 fatalities from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Helene is now the third deadliest storm to hit the U.S. this century.
Around 90% of hurricane fatalities are caused by torrential rain, storm surges, rip currents, and marine accidents. Carl Schreck, a climate scientist from North Carolina, says the worsening of such disasters is undeniably a part of climate change.
Milton will move quickly across Florida, likely still causing severe flooding, but experts say it likely won’t be as extreme as Helene's. In the meantime, residents who aren’t being forced to evacuate are boarding up homes and businesses and bracing for the impact.