Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall in Florida

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Facts

  • Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Fla., Wednesday night, dropping more than 10 inches of rainwater across the region and a further 12 inches in some areas. Over 3M people were left without power.[1]
  • The storm, which approached the state as a Category 5 hurricane, brought 100 mph winds and 13-foot storm surges in some areas, with officials warning of continuing flash floods in central Florida. The storm is now a Category 1.[2][3]
  • Initially, seven deaths were reported Wednesday throughout Fort Pierce, Polk County, and St. Petersburg.[1][4]
  • The storm also caused structural damage, including a crane falling through a building that houses the Tampa Bay Times newspaper and the roof of Tropicana Field — home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team — being shredded to pieces.[5][6]
  • In addition to uprooted trees, large furniture — such as couches — were scattered across neighborhood streets. Thousands of homes were flooded, with the Pasco County sheriff reporting 22 people rescued and operations continuing.[3]
  • According to one capital analysis company, Milton could cost insurance companies $60B, which would put it on the same level as 2022's Hurricane Ian and 2005's Hurricane Katrina. However, recent contract restructuring makes it likely the industry will deal with the costs.[7]

Sources: [1]FOX News, [2]New York Times, [3]New York Post, [4]Washington Post, [5]Wsj, [6]Tampa Bay Times and [7]Insurance Business America.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Washington Post. Despite meteorologists having warned about storms this severe for decades, anti-science misinformation — aided by social media — continues to spread. Whether it's those who need to ride out a storm to believe in its strength or people who believe the government is controlling the storms, everyone must accept the simple truth: Burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, which causes record-breaking storms.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Breitbart. Climate alarmists are again trying to scare everyone. Deaths from natural disasters make up a fraction of what they did a century ago, and property damage has also fallen as a percentage of GDP over the last 30 years, all while more buildings are being built. Everyone would be better off if all the data was talked about rather than just the doom and gloom.

Predictions