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, bringing dozens of tornadoes, waves over 8 meters high, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surges.

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

A view of the many homes destroyed after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Englewood, Florida, on October 11. Photo: Reuters

Approximately 2.5 million homes and businesses in Florida lost power, with homes in the Midwest being the hardest hit. More than 50,000 electricians have been deployed to restore power, Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday.

Strong winds caused a crane to collapse onto The Tampa Bay Times office in St Petersburg, while the Tampa Bay Rays suffered damage to the roof of their Tropicana Field stadium during the storm.

Because less than 24 hours have passed since Milton made landfall, its impact is yet to be fully measured, but AccuWeather said on 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 and as much as $47 billion in damage.

Milton's wind warnings were lifted after the storm moved away from Florida's east coast. However, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that "the danger remains" from damaged buildings, downed power lines, and flooding.

A community in Florida was flooded to a depth of nearly 2 meters on October 10, 2024. Photo: NBC

According to an analysis by World Weather Attribution, global warming is causing wind speeds to increase by about 10% and rainfall to increase by 20% to 30%. A group of climate scientists is studying the role of climate change in driving extreme weather events.

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

Previous scientific analyses have indicated that climate change will cause temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico to rise by 400 to 800 times.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said this additional heat made Milton the third fastest-intensifying Atlantic hurricane in history, with maximum sustained winds reaching 180 mph (290 km/h).

Milton is the second Category 5 hurricane of this season, which runs from June to November. Only five other years since 1950 have recorded more than one Category 5 hurricane in a single season, according to the U.S. 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