Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's east coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm, knocking out power to about 3 million people and bringing devastating winds and rain. Tornadoes on Florida's east coast have caused their own damage to lives and property, and the photos emerging into daylight are devastating.
At least 10 people have died in the storms so far, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who reported the death toll during a Thursday afternoon video conference in the White House diary. press conference.
Mayorkas was calling remotely from North Carolina, where he is currently overseeing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, which decimated the western part of the state, a high-elevation area where the vast majority of people do not have flood insurance.
“Milton may have passed, but the danger he poses has not,” Mayorkas said. “Down power lines, flooding, unsafe drinking water and debris are creating deadly conditions. Continue to listen to local authorities and protect yourself until it is safe if asked to do so. Only use generators when and where it is safe to do so. You can find more tips about staying safe after a storm on the FEMA app or by visiting ready.gov.”
“Structures were seriously damaged or collapsed and, tragically, we know lives were lost. We are praying for them and their loved ones,” Mayorkas said at Thursday’s news conference.
One of those damaged buildings is the Tampa Bay Times in downtown St. Petersburg, where a construction crane collapsed into the eight-story building, causing a huge hole.
Social media has been flooded with conspiracy theories about Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, including the idea that Democrats can control the weather and direct hurricanes toward predominantly Republican areas in an effort to help Donald Trump. In another time, this kind of nonsense would have been relegated to the margins of society, but here in the 2020s it is going viral on sites like X and being spread by sitting members of Congress.
“Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done,” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. last week in the first of what would be several tweets recently insisting that there was a plot to control the hurricane underway.
The Internet was also flooded with fake and mislabeled images purporting to be of Hurricane Milton, including ridiculous AI-generated photos that purportedly show Walt Disney World in Florida completely flooded. In fact, the theme park plans to reopen on Friday.
Secretary Mayorkas addressed misinformation at the White House press conference on Thursday, stressing that it causes problems in the real world.
“So let me repeat that, in fact, the false information that is being deliberately spread has a real-life impact on survivors and is also demoralizing to those heroic individuals who risk their lives in service to others,” Mayorkas said. he said.
Mayorkas even gave an example of how this information is hampering rescue efforts on the ground.
“There is false information that federal officials who are there to help people are actually going to take their land,” Mayorkas explained, “and what we are seeing is people who are reticent, reluctant to access the help they are entitled to and that will help them because of the fear that this false information instilled in them. This is just one example.”
Residents of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena and Lealman are being told to boil water as many water pipes have broken.
“Last night, the city made the difficult decision to shut off potable (drinking) water due to major water main breaks due to Hurricane Milton,” St. Petersburg said in a statement posted to the city's website. “Crews are making repairs and drinking water is back, although pressure may be low. Once the system is pressurized, water service should resume normally. However, a citywide boil water advisory has been issued for all water customers. This includes residents of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena and Lealman.”
The City of St. Petersburg notes that any non-bottled water intended for activities such as drinking, brushing teeth, or cooking should be boiled first.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), use boiled or bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing your teeth, or cleaning during the boil water advisory period. To boil water, bring the water to a full boil for 1 minute and allow it to cool before using,” the city explained.
Spectrum Internet received more than 8,000 reports of problems from Internet users in the path of Hurricane Milton, according to DownDetector, which sent a report to Gizmodo on Thursday afternoon. Internet connection issues were the top issue (35%), with total outages and no signal accounting for 26% and 23% respectively, reports DownDetector.
Fortunately, one of the positives after the storm is that Tampa and its huge population have so far been spared the deaths caused by the hurricane. There was some concern that a direct attack on Tampa would cause even more damage and loss of life.
“Tampa Bay was spared in the final hours of the predicted catastrophic storm,” said Cathie Perkins, Pinellas County emergency management chief, according to Reuters.
But that's obviously little comfort to people in other areas who are cleaning up after the storm.
GoFundMe has created a hub of verified crowdfunding campaigns for anyone looking for ways to donate directly to those suffering from Hurricane Milton.
“In the last two weeks since Helene made landfall, more than $50 million has been raised on GoFundMe for hurricane relief, from more than 400,000 donors in all 50 U.S. states, with an average donation amount of $ 120,” a spokesperson told Gizmodo in a statement. statement Thursday.
“We anticipate that many across the Southeast, especially those impacted in Florida, will continue to need support after Milton. In response, GoFundMe has also updated our Hurricane Relief Page with resources for donors looking to help and communities still recovering from Hurricane Helene.”
President Joe Biden held a press conference Thursday afternoon at the White House.
“I know recovery and reconstruction projects can take a long and difficult time, but as long as the press and cameras move forward, I promise you, you will still have to pick up the pieces,” Biden said.
“I want you to know everything we can to help you put the pieces together and get everything you need,” Biden continued. “God bless you and God bless our troops and our first responders. Many cases risk their lives to help.”
