On October 5, Hurricane Milton started forming in the western Caribbean Sea. According to NASA, it was the fastest Atlantic hurricane to escalate from the first stage of development to a Category 5 status. By October 7, the powerful hurricane was charging toward Florida with raging winds. Over five million people evacuated before it hit land as a Category 3 hurricane. Wind speeds peaked at 180 miles per hour, and, in the span of one night, 46 tornadoes plowed through Florida. Although the hurricane dissipated on October 12 and the coverage seemed to disappear on breaking news sites, Hurricane Milton left a lasting effect on the homes and businesses of thousands of Floridians.
Impact on houses and the environment
Hurricane Milton destroyed houses, flooded areas and caused congestion on highways both before and after its storms reached Florida. Less than two weeks before Hurricane Milton, a Category 4 hurricane called Hurricane Helene damaged the Big Bend region of Florida. Many houses were only just recovering from Hurricane Helene as Milton devastated the area and houses were already facing roof damage, water damage, broken windows, debris, mold formation and power outages from bothHelene and Milton. According to PowerOutages.us, three million homes and businesses were without power after these hurricanes.
The environment was seriously impacted as well. Water rose 5-10 feet above ground, causing the majority of the environmental damage. More than 5,000 land structures were forecasted to see Hurricane Milton’s worst surge of flooding, and around a dozen river gauges were declared to be in severe flood stages. The Hillsborough River, for example, rose to a height of 15.46 feet. This was 9 feet above the average river depth and beat the previous Hillsborough River record of 15.33 feet in 1960.
Additionally, Milton brought on a major congestion of vehicles on Interstate 75 as thousands headed toward the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. GasBuddy, a gas price-tracking platform, collected information that 2,200 gas stations across Florida did not have enough fuel due to the large amount of cars on the road, causing driving to be difficult and chaotic.
Impacts on the economy and financial situations
Hurricane Milton was one of the most costly storms in the United States’ history. According to CoreLogic, up to $34 billion were needed to compensate for the wind and flood damage. Disaster areas still require additional financial assistance to pay for immediate needs and temporary housing.
Many organizations have been established to help in scenarios such as Hurricane Milton. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA assisted people who lived in disaster areas with $770 as a starting value for their basic needs. They also found temporary housing and paid for disaster-related expenses. In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provided guidance for handling finances.
Impacts on mental health
35 people died from the destruction of Hurricane Milton. A lot of the Floridians were able to evacuate to safety and avoid physical harm, but many were still harmed mentally.
It is easy for people to overlook the mental impacts of harsh natural disasters by focusing on the environmental and economic impacts, but it is important that those directly affected by the hurricane also receive mental and emotional help. Hurricanes can be very traumatic and stressful as they force people to pack up their belongings and leave their homes without any ability to check on the condition of their house. Combined with the chaos of the environment and economy, people can also experience emotional distress.
Ways people can help
People all over the world can help those affected by the hurricane. The American Red Cross has opened shelters and supported people who have evacuated their homes. The Salvation Army has provided relief, emotional and spiritual care and food service to those affected by the hurricane. One can look into donating to these organizations on their websites.
Furthermore, people can contribute to fundraisers. There are many fundraisers online that involve streaming, fitness challenges, social media accounts and much more.
Another way to help is through the donation of clothing, toiletries, hygiene products and non-perishable food, as well as donating blood. Disasters as severe as a hurricane can cause large disruptions in blood collection efforts. It is important to donate blood in order to provide more blood to health care facilities when the supply is hindered.
The areas hit by Hurricane Milton are recovering thanks to the help of organizations and people from areas around the world who are donating to help with financial assistance, temporary housing and emotional care for those impacted. In the future, people can contribute to reputable organizations when big disasters occur to help those affected by the storms.
