An expanding Hurricane Milton closed in on Florida's west coast on Wednesday, spawning tornados and lashing the region with rain and wind hours ahead of its expected landfall near Tampa Bay, where it could deliver a life-threatening surge of seawater to waterfront communities already battered by Hurricane Helene. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to James Douris, a meteorologist in the Disaster Risk Reduction division of the World Meteorological Organization.
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00:00Welcome to Apropos. Residents are braced for what's forecast to be the worst storm to hit the U.S. state in a century.
00:09Hurricane Milton is churning towards Florida's west coast and expected to make landfall late on Wednesday or early on Thursday morning.
00:18The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, is facing the possibility of widespread destruction.
00:25Charlotte County is being placed under curfew from tonight.
00:29With the very latest, here's Yinka Oyetade.
00:33The U.S. Air Force takes to the skies getting up close and personal with Hurricane Milton.
00:38There may be an eerie calm above as the storm swells towards Florida, but on the ground it's a different story.
00:45Hours before it's expected to hit the state, Milton has already triggered at least two tornadoes.
00:50It's just a taste of what's to come from a hurricane that officials warn will be catastrophic and deadly.
00:57Winds will be fierce at well over 100 miles per hour.
01:01With storm surges reaching up to 15 feet and up to 18 inches of rain, it's looking like the storm of the century.
01:10Evacuation orders are currently in place in 11 counties across Florida, triggering huge traffic jams on the roads.
01:17This was the scene earlier on a highway coming out of Tampa City along Florida's Gulf Coast, the first area in Milton's path.
01:25There's a mass exodus underway in other parts of the state too.
01:28I'm tired of prepping. I mean, I'm vaguely running around since like three or four days constantly and prepping, you know, and it's just exhausting.
01:37You know, everybody's anxiety, got anxiety, like PTSD sinking in.
01:42Despite the warnings, some say they'll stay put. Vice President Kamala Harris says that's a bad idea.
01:47If you are told to evacuate, please evacuate immediately.
01:52For President Biden, the battle in Florida isn't just against Milton, but also against disinformation spread by Republican nominee Donald Trump.
02:01It's harmful to those who need help the most. There's simply no place for this to happen.
02:07Former President Trump has led the onslaught of lies.
02:11It comes after Trump and the Republicans pushed forced claims over the storms targeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
02:19while forcibly accusing the government of misappropriating its funds for migrants.
02:23But politics couldn't be further from the minds of some residents here.
02:26All they're worrying about is surviving what's expected to be a historic storm.
02:31Well, for more on this monster storm and what it tells us about climate change, we're joined now by James Durris,
02:37meteorologist at the Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the World Meteorological Organization.
02:43Thank you so much for being with us on the programme this evening.
02:47You are yourself, I believe, very familiar with Florida.
02:50You have family also who have been evacuated from the path of this hurricane.
02:57Firstly, how are they and where are they now?
03:01I did evacuate. They have a house on the coast of near Fort Myers,
03:09and they evacuated to Cleveland, Ohio, where they have family there.
03:15So they are safe. Do they believe that this hurricane is going to be very different to what has previously hit the area from their experience?
03:23Well, fortunately, their house is pretty high as compared to the sea level.
03:30So they are not as concerned.
03:35This hurricane is hitting further north, and so the wind and storm surge will be less than Hurricane Ian in 2022.
03:47It's been described as a once-in-a-century event. Why and how has it been strengthening so rapidly?
03:55Well, this is one of the things that increased ocean temperatures do.
04:01Ocean temperatures, when they are warm, that is fuel.
04:05That is just sitting there waiting for the opportune time and a hurricane, or I should say even a tropical storm,
04:14to develop and use that energy to increase its strength rapidly.
04:22Rapid intensification is something that we've done a lot of research in over the past decade or so,
04:28and we've seen a trend as far as rapid intensification, especially in these warm waters.
04:38In the Gulf of Mexico at that time, during Hurricane Milton, when it first formed,
04:47the temperatures were quite high and the conditions were perfect for it to rapidly intensify.
04:54And it was really astonishing as to how fast it intensified from a minimal hurricane to a Category 5 in a short time
05:03and reaching wind speeds of 180 miles per hour. It was truly remarkable.
05:11And is it inevitable then that we're going to see ever more powerful storms in the future and greater numbers of these hurricanes?
05:19Well, there are a lot of components that make up a hurricane.
05:25There are many things that can limit hurricane intensity.
05:29But one thing that we do know is that as the tropical seasons continue year after year with warmer temperatures in the oceans,
05:39you will find that these storms have the potential to reach catastrophic levels just like this one.
05:47James, you specialize in tropical cyclones and also disaster risk reduction.
05:53So how can governments realistically reduce the risks associated with storms like this?
06:00Preparedness.
06:03Having alert systems, and this is something that the World Meteorological Organization is really focusing on,
06:12to increase the coverage and usability of warnings across the world.
06:20Another aspect in preparedness is that people should know their risk to storm surge.
06:29Most people are killed within the storm surges or the flash flooding that occurs.
06:37So they need to know their risk level, their escape plans, and when to evacuate.
06:44When the governments give the advice or should I say the word that they need to evacuate, they should evacuate.
06:55In Florida, this has been very much a success story.
06:58They are very, very well practiced.
07:01We just had Hurricane Helene that was fresh on the minds of many people in Florida.
07:07And they evacuated very quickly, including my family, which did not hesitate to evacuate this time.
07:18Nevertheless, some people do decide to stay in their homes despite the risks,
07:22despite the warnings that are being issued around the clock at this point.
07:26What would your advice be for them?
07:31You can't really save your house or do anything for your house, but you can save your lives.
07:36And this is very important.
07:39Just the risk of you losing your life to stay in your household is really a huge cost to your family,
07:49that is extended, as well as to your children and that.
07:55It is important that people heed the advice of the authorities and know when they need to leave when there is a risk like this.
08:05Storm surges are very swift, and they can be very deep like this.
08:12They're looking at anywhere from 10 to 15 feet.
08:15When that moves in, it's almost like a surge of a tidal wave moves in over the land very quickly.
08:22And before you know it, you have no escape routes.
08:25So it's important that you heed the advice of the authorities and the governments to be able to evacuate.
08:31And then you can go back and rebuild with government assistance.
08:35And James, I'm not sure if you saw it, but a video of another meteorologist,
08:39it went viral earlier after he got emotional on air during an interview
08:43talking about climate change, talking about this hurricane.
08:46And he spoke afterwards about being frustrated about the failure really of world leaders to do more
08:53to prevent these kind of catastrophes and to do more about climate change.
08:58Do you feel as a meteorologist that people are listening, are heeding the warnings?
09:05I hope they are listening and I hope they are heeding it.
09:08It is very important to learn about natural hazards, what they can do,
09:16the risk that they pose for your particular area, and how to recognize them
09:22and be able to avoid the catastrophic impacts.
09:29That's what adaptation is and being able to adapt to the current situation that we have today,
09:38especially with the numerous numbers of people that are moving along the coast
09:43that may be new to these areas that are prone to tropical cyclones and other hazards.
09:52So that they learn about these particular areas and be able to reduce their risk of loss of life and property as well.
10:02James, we'll have to leave it there for now.
10:04But thank you so much for your time on the program.
10:06We do appreciate it.
10:07That is James Doris, meteorologist in the Disaster Risk Reduction Division
10:11of the World Meteorological Organization.
10:13Thank you so much.
10:14Thank you for having me.
10:16Well, do stay with us.