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Hurricane Milton: A Record-Breaking Natural Disaster

Manuel Beck

Hurricane Milton has been storming the headlines for several weeks, especially with its build-up and record-breaking levels. On Oct. 7, the National Hurricane Center declared that Hurricane Milton had become a Category 5 monster, a very rare occurrence. This historic hurricane sounded the alarms across Florida, packing powerful winds of up to 145mph (233 km/h). Milton was initially expected to cause flash flooding, torrential rain and storm surges in Florida. Millions of residents were racing to evacuate as the category four storm made its way towards the state's coastline. By the end of it, Florida Officials confirmed at least 16 people have been killed by Hurricane Milton.

BBC: The destructive power of Hurricane Milton in 3 images

Where it began:

On 5 October, Hurricane Milton was first detected in the south west of the Gulf of Mexico. The next day, its wind speed started to rapidly intensify and by 7 October it had reached category five strength. Milton's winds had increased from 80 to 175mph (129 to 282 km/h) in just 24 hours. It is now one of the fastest intensifying Atlantic storms on record. The hurricane eventually made landfall on October 9th and about 5.9 million people were under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders, including people in 11 Florida counties. Despite the destruction, many people expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse. The hurricane was predicted to hit Tampa in a much more destructive manner though it downgraded to a category 3 hurricane when reaching Florida.

AP News: The roof of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium was ripped to shreds after Hurricane Milton.

A hurricane of this magnitude automatically forced the residents of Florida and nearby citizens into evacuation. Over 2,000 gas stations in the area were limited in the amount of fuel they had and power outages became commonplace. Fortunately, there were several relief efforts and the White House was determined to help those affected: “We will be with the people of Florida for as long as it takes.” The search and rescue teams have conducted over 4,200 rescues and assists and another 50,000 workers are restoring power.


These sorts of hurricanes seem to occur more and more after every year. When trying to find an answer, most fingers point at global warming. Hurricanes are weather events that feed off the heat of tropical waters andsSince warm waters fuel the energy needed for hurricanes to strengthen, hotter seas result in more powerful hurricanes. In the last four decades, the ocean has absorbed about 90 percent of the heat from greenhouse gas emissions and this number does not seem to decline.


The hurricane not only concerns environmental issues, but it also impacted the several employment sectors across the state. Tourism in Florida is a critical engine for the state’s economy, yet it has faced a sharp downturn due to canceled trips and flights and damaged infrastructure. The construction sector also slowed down, with a forecasted drop in new home sales and housing starts. While retail saw a brief spike from emergency buying, this is just a temporary buffer and unlikely to compensate for the significant loss of sales during and after the storm. In the energy sector, utilities are on high alert for widespread power outages that could further hinder recovery efforts.


Hurricane Milton may not have left the lasting mark many feared, but it did manage to leave an impression. While we might view Milton as "the storm that wasn’t," it offered an important reminder about the environment’s influence on our lives and the ways we collectively respond to potential crises. Milton’s near miss brings attention to the resilience of communities, the preparedness of local authorities, and the technology that helps us understand such natural events better each year. So, while Hurricane Milton may not have been the most destructive ones, it will go in the history books as a unique event that marked part of 2024 and gave us things to consider for our world.

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