Superstorm Milton kills at least 17 people, causes hundreds of billions of dollars in damage

Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Sarasota County, spawning dozens of tornadoes, waves as high as 26 feet, strong winds, heavy rainfall and a devastating storm surge.

Six people in a St Lucie County retirement village were killed by tornadoes caused by the storm after dozens of tornadoes hit the area in just 20 minutes.

A view of homes damaged by Hurricane Milton in Englewood, Florida, on October 11. Photo: Reuters

About 2.5 million homes and businesses in Florida were without power, with those in the Midwest hardest hit. More than 50,000 electricians were deployed to restore power, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.

Strong winds caused a crane to collapse onto The Tampa Bay Times newsroom in St Petersburg, while the Tampa Bay Rays were left "hurt" after the roof of their Tropicana Field stadium was damaged in the storm.

With less than 24 hours since Milton made landfall, its impact is still difficult to gauge, but AccuWeather said Thursday that preliminary estimates of damage and economic losses are between $160 billion and $180 billion. Previously, Hurricane Helene was estimated to have caused at least $30 billion in damage and as much as $47 billion.

Milton's wind warnings were canceled after the storm left Florida's east coast. However, the US National Hurricane Center warned that "danger remains" from damaged buildings, downed power lines and floodwaters.

A Florida community was flooded by nearly 6 feet on October 10, 2024. Photo: NBC

Global warming is causing wind speeds to be about 10% stronger and rainfall to be 20% to 30% heavier, according to an analysis by World Weather Attribution. The group of climate scientists studying the role of climate change in driving extreme weather.

Milton strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a ferocious Category 5 storm in less than 24 hours, drawing on record-warm and near-record-breaking waters in the Gulf of Mexico. It made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm.

Previous scientific analyses have shown that climate change has caused temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico to increase by 400 to 800 times.

The extra heat made Milton the third-fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricane on record, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center said.

Milton is the second Category 5 storm this season, which runs from June to November. Only five other years since 1950 have recorded more than one Category 5 storm in a season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Hoang Anh (according to Independent, Reuters, NBC)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/sieu-bao-milton-khien-it-nhat-17-nguoi-thiet-mang-du-bao-gay-thiet-hai-hang-tram-ty-usd-post316452.html