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.
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