Climate Change Editor
jean-marc.rampersad@guardian.co.tt
It appears that the majority of T&T nationals in Florida were unharmed during the passage of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night.
Contacted for an update yesterday, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, Dr Amery Browne, said, “We are still receiving updates and monitoring the situation very closely; thankfully we have received no reports thus far of any casualties amongst our diaspora in Central Florida.”
One T&T national, Tarpon Springs resident Carolyn Figgener, indicated yesterday that she evacuated although she was just outside the mandatory evacuation zone.
During her journey back home yesterday, she explained, “We had to re-route at times due to standing water. We had to drive around trees and power lines on the road. Some traffic lights were still out, so we had to be careful.”
Figgener said she and her family were unscathed by Milton, as their home had no damage and even had power and running water.
The Caribbean American National Development Organization, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, has been assisting with relief efforts.
Its executive director, Francis Joseph, said they had partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other community groups to provide support for those in need. Their programmes have been activated since Helene’s landfall two weeks ago and they are now making their assessments in the aftermath of Milton. He indicated that warm meals, ice, baby formula and tarps are among some of the items that are being distributed.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) yesterday confirmed that Hurricane Milton made landfall as an extremely dangerous Category 3 near Siesta Key, Florida, around 8.30 pm on Wednesday night.
At the time of landfall, Milton was packing maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h, with stronger gusts.
Milton entered the Atlantic Ocean early yesterday morning as a significantly weakened Category 1 hurricane. It is expected to further weaken and track just south of Bermuda but is still expected to produce rough seas and tropical storm force winds for the remote island.
The effects of Hurricane Milton were being observed as early as Wednesday morning, particularly for the residents of South and Central Florida, as the outer rainbands resulted in over 100 tornado warnings, and over 30 confirmed tornadoes across the State.
Milton’s storm surge was expected to be a significant threat but reports were lower than originally anticipated, with the highest official figures up to six feet. Wobbles in Milton’s path made it difficult for the NHC to accurately forecast the exact point of landfall, which also affected the storm surge forecast. Several areas south of the eye experienced significant storm surges as the winds pushed the water onshore, flooding coastal areas and, when it receded, roads and beachfront properties covered in several feet of sand.
At the time of landfall, tropical storm force winds (at least 63 km/h) extended up to 400 kilometres away from the eye. This caused extensive wind damage, which resulted in over three million homes losing power across Florida. The Florida Power and Light Company had restored power to as many as 730,000 customers by yesterday evening.
If you or anyone you know has been impacted by these recent weather events, you can call 813-505-6683 or visit www.wicando.org.