Hurricane Milton made landfall with the eastern coast of Florida on Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm, wiping out power for about 3 million people and bringing devastating wind and rain. Tornadoes on the eastern coast of Florida caused their own damage to life and property, and the photos that are emerging in the light of day are devastating.
At least 10 people have died from the storms so far, according to Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, who reported the death toll while calling in via video conference on Thursday afternoon at the White House daily press conference.
Mayorkas was dialing in remotely from North Carolina, where he’s currently overseeing the recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene which has decimated the western portion of the state, an area of high altitude where the vast majority of people don’t have flood insurance.
“Milton may have passed, but the danger it poses has not,” Mayorkas said. “Downed power lines, flood waters, non-potable drinking water, and debris are creating deadly conditions. Keep listening to local officials and shelter in place until it is safe, if told to do so. Only use generators when and where it is safe to do so. You can find more tips on staying safe after a storm on the FEMA app or by visiting ready.gov.”
“Structures have been severely damaged or collapsed, and tragically, we know that lives have been lost. We are praying for them and their loved ones,” Mayorkas said at Thursday’s press conference.
One of those damaged buildings is the Tampa Bay Times’s building in downtown St. Petersburg where a construction crane collapsed on the eight-story building, causing an enormous hole.
Social media has been flooded with conspiracy theories about both Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, including the idea that Democrats can control the weather and steered the hurricanes into predominantly Republican areas in an effort to help Donald Trump. In another era, that kind of nonsense would’ve been relegated to the fringes of society, but here in the 2020s it’s 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,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia tweeted last week in the first of what would be multiple tweets recently insisting there was a hurricane-control conspiracy going on.
The internet has also been flooded with fake and mislabeled images purporting to be from Hurricane Milton, including ridiculous AI-generated photos that supposedly show Walt Disney World in Florida completely flooded. In reality, the theme park plans to reopen on Friday.
Secretary Mayorkas addressed the disinformation in the White House press conference on Thursday, stressing that it does cause problems in the real world.
“So let me repeat that, in fact, the false information that is being spread deliberately does have a real-life impact on survivors, and it is also demoralizing for those heroic individuals who are risking their lives in the service of others,” Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas even gave an example of how that information is hindering the rescue efforts on the ground.
“There is false information that federal employees who are there to help people will actually take their land,” Mayorkas explained, “and what we have seen is people reticent, reluctant to access the relief to which they are entitled and which will help them because of the fear that that false information has instilled in them. That is just one example.”
Residents of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena, and Lealman are being told to boil water since so many water mains have broken.
“Last night, the City made the difficult decision to shut off potable (drinking) water due to major water main breaks from Hurricane Milton,” St. Petersburg said in a statement posted to the city’s website. “Crews are making repairs and potable water is back on, though pressure may be low. Once the system is pressurized, water service should resume as normal. However, a citywide boil water notice 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 like drinking, brushing your 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 teeth, or cleaning during the boil water notice period. To boil water, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute and allow the water to cool before use,” the city explained.
Spectrum Internet has received over 8,000 reports of issues from internet users in the Hurricane Milton path, according to DownDetector, which sent Gizmodo a report Thursday afternoon. Issues with connecting to the internet were the top issue (35%), with total outages and a lack of signal representing 26% and 23% respectively, DownDetector reports.
Thankfully, one of the bright spots in the aftermath of the storm is that Tampa and its enormous population have so far been spared deaths from the hurricane. There was some concern that a direct hit on Tampa would create even more damage and loss of life.
“Tampa Bay was spared in the final hours from the predicted catastrophic storm surge,” Cathie Perkins, head of emergency management for Pinellas County, said according to Reuters.
But that’s obviously small comfort to the people in other areas who are cleaning up after the storm.
GoFundMe has created a hub of verified crowdfunding campaigns for anyone who’s looking how they can donate directly to people suffering from Hurricane Milton.
“In the past two weeks since Helene made landfall, more than $50 million has been raised on GoFundMe for hurricane relief, from more than 400,000 donors across all 50 U.S. states, with an average donation amount of $120,” a spokesperson told Gizmodo in a statement Thursday.
“We anticipate 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 gave a press conference Thursday afternoon from the White House.
“I know recovery and rebuilding projects can take a long and difficult time, but as long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you, you have to pick up the pieces still,” Biden said.
“I want you to know everything on our power to help you put pieces back together and get all that you need,” Biden continued. “God bless you and may God bless our troops and our first responders. Many some cases risking their lives to help.”
Read the full article here
