Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
POLITICAL STAKES
Rainfall of 25 centimetres is expected to cause havoc in Florida, bringing flash flooding.
Emergency workers are still struggling to provide relief in the aftermath of Helene, which killed at least 230 people in several states across the US southeast.
Rescue and recovery efforts after Helene have been hit by a wave of politically motivated false claims ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
Among the litany of disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican candidate Donald Trump that funds have been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants.
Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), dismissed the claims as false.
She also warned Monday that “these storms are bringing more water than they ever have and so while we have the wind risk, the water is what’s killing people”.
Source: CNA