Hurricane Milton on Monday strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane as it headed toward the Tampa, Fla., area that less than two weeks ago was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The hurricane is expected to hit the Tampa Bay area Wednesday before traveling over Orlando. Florida officials warned residents to prepare for the "largest evacuation" since Hurricane Irma in 2017.The hurricane is expected to hit the Tampa Bay area Wednesday before passing over or near Orlando. Florida officials warned residents to prepare for the "largest evacuation" since Hurricane Irma in 2017.
As long as man-made climate change is allowed to proliferate with little done to oppose it, the threat of these types of storms will continue. More must be done to battle climate change because as long as the oceans and atmopshereatmosphere continue warming, severethere floodingwill andbe otherfuel destructivefor forcesextreme willrainfall, becatastrophic onflooding, theirand waydestructive winds.
It's unfortunate that a once-in-a-centuryhistoric storm is about to hit the coast of Florida, but this isn't about man-made climate change. The frequency and intensity of these storms hasnhaven't increased in recent decades according to meteorological analysis. More must be done to create better evacuation policies and protect areas where more people are choosing to live than ever before — humans are choosing to reside in harm's way.