This was confirmed by Governor Ron DeSantis, who also warned that any new deaths from the storm’s aftermath could probably be avoided if residents heeded the warnings.
Milton was preceded on Wednesday by outer bands that generated a wave of strong tornadoes in St. Lucie County, causing the loss of several human lives.
During a press conference on Friday, DeSantis indicated that tornadoes come and it is very difficult to prepare, “you have to simply seek shelter and hope for the best.”
But, “we are now in the period in which there are deaths that can be prevented,” said the governor.
He said they have reported “fatal casualties due to interaction with downed power lines and water. We see that the dangers are still there. So please be careful. Do not wade through the water. Be careful with ladders. Use generators properly. Make sure you are out of your house.”
Rescuers have saved about 1,000 people as of Thursday night and in some flooded locations, the waters are said not to be receding.
Hurricane Milton brought not only deadly tornadoes, but also torrential rains, intense winds and storm surge that affected a wide swath of Florida.
Among other damages, the storm ripped the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field stadium, which was supposed to be a shelter for rescuers and cleanup crews.
Milton made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key, Florida, at about 8:30 p.m. local time.
Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said: “Right now, search and rescue is our top priority, and we are also praying for those who are missing and for their safe return.”
On September 26, another devastating hurricane hit Florida, Helene, from which the six states in the southeastern part of the country affected have not yet recovered.
The phenomenon has so far left nearly 230 dead and an undetermined number of missing.
A study published this week called attention to the fact that more than 90 percent of global warming in recent decades has occurred in the oceans and hurricanes take full advantage of that extra energy.
The exceptionally warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, which boosted the deadly Hurricane Helene, was up to 500 times more likely, precisely because of global climate change for which man is to blame, he said.
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