“The storm of the century” is what meteorologists call Hurricane Milton due to its destructive force. Florida has always been prepared for natural disasters; Governor DeSantis’ administration has invested more than $1.4 billion to increase the coastal and inland resilience of Florida’s communities. However, that is not enough to protect people’s lives from the force of Mother Nature. Milton was at a Category 4 status on Wednesday morning after spending much of Tuesday as a Category 5 storm( the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed). The last time a Category 5 hurricane hit the United States was in October 2018, Hurricane Michael. It reached wind speeds of 160 mph, and at least 74 people died.
Climate change provides more fuel than ever for storms like Helene and Milton. Recent studies have shown a link between ocean surface temperatures and tropical storm intensity—warmer waters create more energetic storms. As the oceans warm up, Gov. DeSantis has focused more on the “climate change is a hoax” speech by signing legislation that erases most references to climate change from state law and wants the United States to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The U.S. withdrew in 2020 under Trump and rejoined in 2021 under the Biden administration. Hurricane Milton came shortly after Hurricane Helene, which had a death toll of 227 across six states.
Hurricane Milton was not as destructive as it was meant to be; it turned into a Category 3 right before it reached Florida. However, the hurricane spawned many tornadoes, with the National Weather Service issuing 126 tornado warnings, causing 20 deaths in total.
Although evacuation was mandatory, the Mayor of Florida urged citizens to flee; otherwise, “you would die.” Many stayed behind because they preferred to hunker down or had nowhere or enough money to evacuate. That’s not to mention the elderly, disabled, and homeless, who have it harder to make these fight-or-flight decisions with no help from the government.
Immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, to halt global warming, are essential to reducing the risk of the strongest storms in the future. With the elections coming up, we must remember that Donald Trump, who has called the climate crisis a “hoax” and a “scam” and promised to slash environmental regulations for oil and gas companies in return for campaign donations, is a risk to our future and a livable planet. His opponent, Kamala Harris, has acknowledged the dangers posed by global heating but always steers clear of the topic during rallies and interviews. Natural disasters will become more common and with much more force. The big oil companies such as Exxon, Mobile, and Shell have blood on their hands, knowing they are purposely poisoning our planet and putting people at risk. We need bold and equitable climate solutions to move towards a pollution-free, 100% clean energy future. This is only possible with leaders who care for the planet and its people.
El Tribuno del Pueblo brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: tribunodelpueblo.org. We’re all volunteers, no paid staff. Please donate at http://tribunodelpueblo.org to keep bringing you the voices of the movement because no human being is illegal.
