At 9:20 a.m. this morning (Vietnam time), Hurricane Milton's intensity had decreased to a Category 2 storm after making landfall.
With winds of 110 mph, the storm is currently located 20 miles northeast of Sarasota, Florida. CNN stressed that although the storm has been downgraded, the warning of dangerous impacts remains unchanged.
According to CNN , Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that at least 19 tornadoes have been confirmed and 116 tornado warnings have been issued across the state as Hurricane Milton makes landfall.
According to NBC News , a spokesman for the St. Lucie County Fire Department, Florida, said that the tornado that swept through the county at 4:28 p.m. (local time) killed two people and many others were taken to the hospital.
Hurricane Milton causes seawater to overflow the shore at Charlotte Harbor, Florida. Photo: CNN/Tuoi Tre Online
In addition, nine flash flood warnings and four additional flood warnings have been issued. Mr. DeSantis did not forget to emphasize that "there is still a lot more to come." Currently, the state of Florida has provided generators for shelters and arranged fuel reserves.
Authorities will escort fuel trucks to gas stations when ports reopen.
Meanwhile, weather conditions in St. Petersburg, Florida, have also become "more extreme and severe," CNN weather coordinator Bill Weir said after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Accordingly, the St. Petersburgs area witnessed a "1,000-years" amount of rain. Within 3 hours, the area received more than 9 inches (22.86cm) of rain, equal to the average rainfall of more than 3 months combined.
The National Weather Service warns that severe flash flooding is occurring or will begin soon, posing a threat to life.
A flash flood emergency has been issued for Tampa, Florida. This is the highest level of flood warning.
"10-14 inches (25.4-35.56 cm) of rain has fallen. Flash flooding has occurred. This is an extremely dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now," the US National Weather Service (NWS) stressed.
Trees sway in the storm. Photo: EPA/Tuoi Tre Online
More than 1.1 million homes and businesses in Florida lost power in just one hour as Hurricane Milton swept through the state, according to PowerOutage.us.
Sarasota County was hit hardest by the outages, with neighboring areas like Manatee and Hardee also experiencing similar conditions.
Hurricane Milton hit the Tampa Bay area, dropping 0.23 meters of rain in St. Petersburg in just three hours. This is a once-in-a-century rainfall event for the city, according to CNN.
Super Typhoon Milton makes landfall.
The amount of rain accumulated in the past three hours is equivalent to the average rainfall in three months in St. Petersburg.
The US National Weather Service also warned that flash flooding will soon occur in areas affected by Hurricane Milton, threatening the lives of people who have not been able to evacuate.
Hurricane Milton threatened nearly all of Florida as it barreled in from the Gulf of Mexico on October 9, with most of the state’s 23 million residents under a high-alert warning. Like previous storms, including Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, Milton posed a threat to the state’s Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf Coast.
This is a unique situation for the third most populous state in the United States, as it continues to welcome new arrivals every day and shows no signs of stopping due to its vibrant growth.
“If you’re on the east coast of Florida, you need to be aware that this is not just a west coast storm,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed on October 9. He said the deployment of personnel and resources ahead of the storm was the largest in the state’s history.
According to the Guardian, 6,000 members of the Florida National Guard, as well as 3,000 Guard troops from other states, are being deployed ahead of Hurricane Milton.
The figure marks the largest Florida National Guard search and rescue mobilization in state history.
Meanwhile, more than 50,000 electricians will work to restore power lines immediately after the storm passes, many from as far away as California.
Hurricane Milton will continue to bring dangerous storm surge, flooding, and strong winds both near and far from the storm's landfall.
The storm is also expected to maintain its intensity as it moves across the entire Florida peninsula until the morning of October 10 (local time, or the evening of October 10, Vietnam time).
"Rainfall amounts have already fallen in the range of 6 to 12 inches. Flash flooding is occurring in some areas or is expected to occur soon in many others," the Tampa National Weather Service warned.
Minh Hoa (reported by Tuoi Tre, Znews)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/sieu-bao-quai-vat-milton-do-bo-florida-voi-suc-gio-gan-200km-h-mua-lon-ngan-nam-co-1-204241010101105608.htm
Comment (0)