Washington, 8 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The west coast of Florida is bracing for Hurricane Milton, a violent storm that is expected to hit the US region shortly after it was hit by Hurricane Helene.

Milton has gained strength off the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and is now a category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of up to around 285 kilometres per hour (km/h). It is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday, with forecasts predicting it will slow somewhat and hit the coast as a category 3 storm, with wind speeds of up to 209 km/h.

The storm poses an "extremely serious" threat and is life-threatening, according to US authorities. Milton is one of the strongest hurricanes in the history of the Atlantic hurricane season, US media reported.

Despite its decreasing strength, Milton remains dangerous because it is expected to grow in size, affecting a wide area. The cities of Naples, Fort Meyers and Tampa are particularly at risk. The Tampa International Airport will close on Tuesday at 9 am (1300 GMT) and remain shut until it is safe to reopen, its website said. In Orlando, which is further inland, the airport will shut on Wednesday at 8 am and reopen "as soon as possible," its website said.

The White House announced support for Florida and US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida. This will release federal funds to support the affected regions.

Record-breaking storm

Milton has the potential to become one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded in this region, the National Hurricane Centre said.

Normally dry areas near the coast could be flooded by rising water. Storm surges of up to 5 metres and destructive winds are expected.

Florida is still struggling with the damage left by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall about 10 days ago in north-west Florida as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm then weakened, but caused severe flooding and destruction as it moved north. Well over 200 people in six states lost their lives – in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, according to US media reports.

The political implications

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the disaster for his election campaign and accused Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris of not doing enough for the victims of Helene.

He falsely stated that Biden had not been in touch with Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp. Biden lashed out at Trump over the incident. "He's lying, and the governor told him he was lying." Kemp said he had played a bit of phone tag with the president but he did indeed speak with Biden.

Harris is running against Trump for the Democrats in the presidential election on November 5 and Georgia is a swing state. Trump won Georgia in 2016, but Biden took what is known as the Peach State in 2020 by less than 12,000 votes.

Both Biden and Harris finally visited the disaster area several times last week.

Photo: EPA