Hurricane Milton in Florida: damages, consequences and what was done by the politicians?

Fire alarms do not materialize - the storm has weakened

Despite the talk of a superstorm, Milton approached Florida as a Category 3 hurricane (wind gusts of up to 195 km/h), then weakened to a Category 1 (150 km/h) and swept from the west to the east coast of the state, passing through Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, Daytona Beach, and Palm Bay.

This resulted in 279 mm of daily rainfall in Tampa, breaking a record set a hundred years ago. The city's emergency services received over 100 calls for fires, falling trees, power line failures, and injuries. During one of the calls, 15 people, including children, were rescued by police. Mayor Jane Castor urged residents to stay in their homes and shelters until city officials declare it safe to be on the streets. She estimated that the storm had caused extensive damage and that the morning flooding could have drowned not only Tampa but also the whole of Hillsborough County; however, according to J. The deaths were avoided, Kastor said^[1].

The city of St Petersburg was badly damaged. Wind gusts ripped off part of the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, and a construction crane in the center of the city, leaving residents without plumbing. At Orlando International Airport, part of the roof collapsed, creating a 9x12 m hole, but the airport was already closed, so no one was hurt.

Meteorologists feared that the storm would unleash storm surges of up to 3.5-4 m high, which could bring down entire houses, but this did not happen - instead, the storm "sucked" water out of Tampa Bay (this is known as a "reverse storm surge"). The highest wave heights were recorded in Sarasota - 2.5-3 m.

"The storm was strong, but fortunately, it was not the worst-case scenario," said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

"Milton provoked powerful tornadoes across Florida. 133 tornado warnings were issued in the past day (when a vortex is detected by meteorologists on radar or seen by a trained observer). At least 36 of them were confirmed. According to ABC News, this is the highest number recorded in Florida and the second highest in the USA^[2]. Tornadoes destroyed at least 125 homes, mostly mobile homes. On Thursday, nine people were known to have died, but on Friday, it was already clarified that at least 15 people had been killed and that this number could rise. At least two of the dead are residents of a retirement complex consisting of mobile homes in St Louis County. Five people were also reported injured in the Palm Beach tornado.

According to PowerOutage.us, 3.4 million customers are without electricity. In Tampa, around 70% of the population is without power. "Tampa Electric says its crews cannot assess the power grid damage due to the ongoing threat.

"These were the strongest winds that we believe have ever raged in Hillsborough County at any time for as long as anyone can remember. The damage, I think, will be far greater than our customers have experienced in their lifetime," the company's CEO told CNN. In some counties west of the state, 80% of the population still lacks electricity.

Over 3,000 US flights have been canceled or delayed because of the storm. Emergency services in parts of Florida were shut down for several hours but later resumed responding to calls received overnight. Although the storm has left land and is moving over the Atlantic Ocean, the threat of storm surge and flooding from heavy rainfall remains on the East Coast. "Analysts interviewed by USA Today said that the global insurance industry could suffer losses of up to USD 100 billion due to Milton, which would lead to a sharp rise in reinsurance prices in 2025 and an increase in the capitalization of individual insurance companies^[3].

This is not the first such challenge for the state

"Milton was the third hurricane to hit Florida since the beginning of the year. On 26 September, Hurricane Helen also left a trail of destruction and death. It passed through the southeastern USA, hitting North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. At least 230 people were killed, making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history: only Maria (2017, 2 975) and Katrina (2005, 1 392) were dead. "Helen caused damage of at least €190 billion.

Typically, the most dangerous hurricane season is between 20 August and 23 September, which makes Milton unusual: hurricanes this strong rarely form in October. It also grew from a tropical storm to a major Category 5 hurricane in less than two days, between 5 and 7 October. On the eve of the storm, the authorities called to evacuate 5.9 million people, with long traffic jams on the roads^[4].

How American politicians reacted to the storm

On the morning of 10 October, US President Joe Biden called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the disaster. He also called on residents of the affected areas on the social network X: "I urge you to stay home and don't go anywhere. Downed power lines, debris and washed-out roads create dangerous conditions. Help is on the way, but until it arrives, stay sheltered until the local authorities say it's safe to go outside."

The devastating hurricanes hit the US just under a month before the presidential elections and were bound to cause clashes between Democrats and Republicans, especially as the disaster-hit areas where the latter's supporters live, as well as two swing states, Georgia and North Carolina^[5]. Donald Trump, former US President and Republican candidate in the 2024 elections, accused the current administration of not providing sufficient aid to Helen-affected areas where his supporters live and said that his opponents had spent the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget on migrant resettlement (which is in fact a separate funding source for this program and for the hurricane response and relief activities).

Despite FEMA's denials, many of Trump's fellow party members have made similar statements. In addition, rumors began to circulate on the Internet that FEMA had allegedly stopped trucks going to the affected areas and that the federal authorities were allegedly planning to demolish the entire town of Chimney Rock in North Carolina and confiscate plots of land from the surviving local residents^[6]. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stated that the federal government had specifically targeted hurricanes in areas inhabited by Republican Party supporters.

"Ask your government if the weather can be manipulated or controlled. Have you ever permitted them to do that? Do you pay for it? Of course, yes", wrote Gryn on his official account.

On 9 October, as Milton approached the Florida coast, Gryn was criticized by her colleagues and party members. Chuck Edwards, a member of the House of Representatives from North Carolina, the state hardest hit by Helen, issued a special statement that did not mention Gryn but stressed that no one can control the weather.

"The government did not create Hurricane Helen by using geoengineering technology to seize lithium deposits at Chimney Rock. FEMA has not diverted funds for disaster relief, border projects or foreign aid," he said in a statement.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez, representing South Florida, advised Gryn to "check his head".

J. Biden also denounced the allegations against FEMA and conspiracy theories about the government's response to the hurricanes^[7]. He said the irresponsible and relentless spread of misinformation and outright lies undermines Americans' faith in emergency services and harms those waiting for help. J. Biden also openly accused Trump of directing the flow of lies and called Gryn's words ridiculous.

"This must stop. At times like this, the lines between pro-Republican and pro-Democratic states blur. There is a united United States of America where neighbors help neighbors; volunteers and rescue workers risk everything, including their lives, to help their fellow Americans; state, local and federal officials stand side by side," he emphasized on the evening of 9 October.

On the same day, speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump wished the people of Florida strength.

"We pray for them and ask God to protect them", he said.

Neither then nor on the morning of 10 October did he react in any way to J. Biden's accusations against him, but he pointed out that Kamala Harris's interview, which was broadcast on CBS on 7 October, had been edited to hide the Vice President's insane or stupid answers.