Hurricane Milton And Helene, Is Florida Okay?

Introduction

Hurricanes are undoubtedly one of the worst natural disasters. Destructive. Dangerous. Deadly. Hurricanes bring on the worst part of mother nature. Recently, there was one in fFlorida. So let’s go ahead and explore these terrible wonders of nature, and ask the big question we have all been wondering, is Florida okay? 

Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton is one of the most recent hurricanes that swept across Florida in 2024. Coming in on the evening of October 9th it was quickly categorized as a category 3 storm. People all over Florida started evacuating for the devastating storm to come. Hurricane Milton started out as a category 4 storm, it quickly moved to o a category 3 storm, and eventually lost a little power still ending up as a category 3 storm. 

The deadly hurricane started at approximately 3:35 PM on October 8th, and ended at 3:08 AM on October 10th. Milton’s fast forward speeds reached up to 155 miles per hour and eventually as it made its way across Florida lowered down to about 85 miles per hour. This monster of a storm has killed 17.. An additional 7 more are dead due to the aftermath of the storm.

Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene was a very devastating tragedy that hit the “Big Bend” area of the Florida Gulf Coast in the evening on September 26th, 2024. The hurricane was first discovered on September 23rd 2024, reaching around 150 miles or 240 kilometers west of the Cayman Islands. The Hurricane continued to gain strength because of the warm surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico (24 degrees celsius or 84 degrees fahrenheit). Meteorologists at the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center classified it as a tropical storm .  And nce approaching the panhandle of Florida, Hurricane Helene grew from a category 2 to a 4 in the matter of hours. The hurricane’s max sustained winds at this time were 100-130 miles or 155-215 km an hour.

 But once it hit the “Big Bend” region of Florida the hurricane’s rain and winds reached speeds up to 140 miles an  hour or 225 kilometers an hour. This brought on a 15 foot or 4.5 meter storm surge to the beachfront communities of Keaton beach  and Steinhatchee.  During this multiple day storm Hurricane Helene brought down havoc on the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee by tearing up trees,light poles,electrical lines, and really anything (even if it was bolted to the ground) and causing a lot of flooding.  The hurricane also produced 5 known tornadoes ( Garland tornado 1 and 2, Centenary tornado, Bay Road tornado, Georgetown Tornado, and the Hagley landing tornado). Along with causing over 200 billion dollars in property and infrastructure damage. And by far the worst damage to come  from the storm, it also tragically killed more than 130 people.Z

Now you know the answer to the question, Is Florida Okay? And the answer is yes, but it will take a lot of work, time, and help from the rest of the United States to help them get back to where they were before these two tragic Hurricanes. Do you have any questions about Hurricane Helene or Milton ? Do you wanna know what you can help or learn more about these two Hurricanes? Comment down below ! Check out this link if you’re interested in helping out people who were affected by these deadly Hurricanes! :https://www.redcross.org/?srsltid=AfmBOoo26rcZnV8_7nT1hcLN3p0ARM-bLCPNUQLN_BBbejLHu0Ha4OVE

Rafferty, John P. “Hurricane Helene.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 28 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/event/Hurricane-Helene.

US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “Tropical Storm Helene: September 26-27, 2024.” National Weather Service, NOAA’s National Weather Service, 18 Oct. 2024, www.weather.gov/ilm/Helene2024.