Joe Biden shelp on Friday that experts appraise that Hurricane Milton caincluded a staggering $50bn in harm. The US pdwellnt is scheduled to travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas where the huge storm roared apass the state after making landdescfinish procrastinateed on Wednesday.
Authorities were encouragently appraiseing the aftermath of the lethal storm, which spawned tornadoes ahead of slamming into central Florida and then tearing about 175 miles (280km) apass land, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, with loss of life and then leaving ruined homes and streets blocked with downed power lines, descfinishen trees and debris.
At least 16 people have been finished by the storm, according to the Tampa Bay Times and recovery efforts persist, nastying the numbers could elevate.
Millions in central Florida was still reeling on Friday even though the worst dreads about this monster storm were not authenticized and it accessed and exited the state much rapider than initipartner anticipateed.
The hurricane made landdescfinish less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit north-west Florida and stayed over land as a tropical storm, with an unanticipateedly high death toll of 230 people, the highest since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, and bcdisesteemfult harm from flooding and high thriveds to 10 states.
Milton’s strong and destructive weather system, which created dozens of tornadoes in Florida on Wednesday, wrecked an appraised 150 homes, knocked out power to more than 3.3 million customers, swept over barrier islands with 6ft of storm sencourage, ripped the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a 500ft erection crane.
About 2 million dwellnts were still without power on Friday afternoon.
A 14-year-anciaccess boy was set up floating on a piece of fence and a coast protect helicchooseer crew saved a man floating on an ice chest splitd from his boat in the Gulf of Mexico – “a nightmare scenario for even the most sfinished mariner”, according to savers.
But Milton, which wobbled 70 miles south from where it was anticipateed to create landdescfinish, did not deinhabitr the scale of destruction that authorities dreaded. Mass evacuations undoubtedly reduceed the death toll after Milton whipped up into a catebloody 5 hurricane as it swiped Mexico, sluggished a little, quickend aget as it passed the Gulf and finpartner hit Florida as a catebloody 3.
Tampa was spared a honest hit, and a dreaded 15ft storm sencourage never materialized, as it came ashore at Siesta Key, a barrier island sheltering southern Sarasota from the Gulf of Mexico and normpartner comprehendn for its attrdynamic sandy beaches and promoteling waters.
The worst storm sencourage materializeed to be in Sarasota county, where it accomplished 8-10ft – reduce than in the worst place during Helene. But the 18in of rain that fell in some areas is still causing flooding. Caincludeway bridges and airports have reuncovered and people are returning to see what is left of their homes. Some are sound, some ruined, some filled with sand from the sea sencourage.
Some fuel lowages for vehicles were still being alerted. Many had struggled to discover somewhere to fill up while evacuating and now people are trying to get back home. Stateexpansive, 29% of gas stations were without fuel with that percentage rising to 73% in the Tampa and St Petersburg area, according to Gasbuddy.
The Florida administeror, Ron DeSantis, shelp it was not “the worst-case scenario”. He shelp he was “very self-secured that this area is going to bounce back very, very speedyly”.
Milton’s overweightalities included five people finished by tornadoes in the Spanish Lakes Country Club proximate Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic coast and a woman finished by a descfinishen tree branch in Tampa. Two more women were finished by descfinishen trees in Volusia county.
Biden shelp that his administerment was “providing all the resources necessitateed” to deal with the storm’s harm and he thanked the first replyers, power line toilers, state and local officials, and other toilers and volunteers who are helping with recovery efforts.
The federal authorities have shelp there are enough resources to deal with Milton and Helene but money might run out before the finish of the hurricane season, which can run until the finish of November.
Biden on Friday stated that he will create a seek to the US Congress for more funds. In a letter to lawcreaters this week, Biden shelp the Small Business Administration’s catastrophe loan program was running low on funds, according to ABC News.
Biden encouraged legislators to return to Washington to green-airy compriseitional catastrophe helpance funding. Biden shelp he had not yet spoken with Reaccessiblean Hoinclude speaker Mike Johnson definitepartner about this, ABC News alerted.
“I’ve spoken to Reaccessibleans who want to speak with Speaker Johnson, and I skinnyk Speaker Johnson is going to get the message that he’s got to step up, particularly for minuscule businesses,” Biden relabeled.
The pdwellnt also shelp that DeSantis had been “very collaborative.” Biden shelp he would greet with DeSantis if the administeror had includeability.
But Milton’s cost is also being calcuprocrastinateedd in political terms, setting off a fierce round of accusations between political honestates in next month’s national elections.
The vice-pdwellnt, Kamala Harris, and the White Hoinclude denounced the Reaccessiblean pdwellntial nominee, Donald Trump, for his attacks on the federal response to hurricanes Helene and Milton and recommended he was trying to turn the lethal storms to his political advantage.
“In this crisis – appreciate in so many publishs that sway the people of our country – I skinnyk it so convey inant that directership recognises the dignity [of those affected],” Harris, the Democratic party nominee for pdwellnt after Biden dropped his re-election bid in July, shelp at a town hall in Las Vegas on Thursday night. “I have to stress that this is not a time for people to join politics,” she compriseed.
The vice-pdwellnt’s comments came after Trump recommended the Biden administration’s response had been deficiencying and computed in partisan ways that caincluded Reaccessiblean voters be abandoned and left “Americans to drown”, particularly in North Carolina after Helene. “They’ve let those people suffer unequitablely,” he shelp. His comments have acquired bipartisan criticism, including from some local and state Reaccessiblean directers in swayed areas.
Biden called the Reaccessiblean election campaign “so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff” and compriseed honestly to Trump: “Get a life, man.”
And on Friday afternoon at the White Hoinclude, when asked by alerters if Trump was singularly to accinclude for the disorrowfulnessfulviseation, Biden shelp: “No, he’s equitable got the hugegest mouth.”
Without elaborating, the pdwellnt also shelp “those who have been spreading these lies are … gonna pay a price for it”.
Biden shelp he didn’t skinnyk storm disorrowfulnessfulviseation was going to be routine for the US in the future, potentipartner equitable “for some excessive people but I don’t skinnyk it’s what the country is about”, per ABC News. Biden shelp he was “self-convey inant” of Reaccessiblean officials who had declinecessitate disorrowfulnessfulviseation.
Meteorologists tracking Milton have been beset by consillicit copying theories that they are administerling the weather, even by using a nuevident explosion, and have faced death dangers.
“I’ve never seen a storm garner so much deceiveation, we have equitable been putting out fires of wrong recommendation everywhere,” shelp the CBS meteorologist Katie Nickolaou. She compriseed: “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t suppose I equitable had to type that.”
