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US President Joe Biden said that Hurricane Milton — expected to make landfall on Florida Wednesday — is a potentially “devastating” storm that could be one of the worst to hit the state in 100 years. He urged residents to follow evacuation orders, asserting that it was “a matter of life and death.”
Hurricane Milton reached Category 5 status in just 18 hours Tuesday, the second-fastest storm to do so, as it approached the Tampa area, though it was later downgraded.
The southeastern US is already reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene last week, which killed at least 230 people and left huge areas without power: Milton will “likely become historic for the damage, death, and destruction in its wake,” Ars Technica reported, especially since it will hit Tampa, which has not seen a major hurricane since 1921.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio warned that the storm was a worst-case scenario for the state, and analysts are already predicting tens of billions of dollars in damages. The White House approved a new emergency declaration for Florida, while FEMA — facing a staffing shortage — sent resources and personnel to the region ahead of the storm.
SIGNALS
Natural disasters not immune from politicking
Even natural disasters can’t escape political controversies, Semafor’s Principals team noted: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was reportedly dodging Kamala Harris’ calls about hurricane recovery efforts, although President Joe Biden said DeSantis was being “cooperative.” While the storm’s impact on the presidential election is unclear, Donald Trump and his allies have been accused of using misinformation to criticize the Biden administration’s response to the hurricanes, likely “seeking a political edge” against Harris, The Washington Post reported, especially in impacted swing states. The American tradition of putting partisan differences aside in the aftermath of disasters, “already seems like a thing of the past,” a political scientist argued in The Hill.
Milton could be the ‘October surprise’ ahead of the November election
Milton may prove to be the election’s “October surprise,” political observers noted, and could be consequential in a close contest. If the federal response to the hurricane is seen as insufficient, Harris “will bear the brunt of the blame” as voters head to the polls, a conservative commentator noted in The Telegraph. But she can also use the high-profile crisis to demonstrate leadership, a Democratic strategist told NPR: “What she has to do, and what she is doing, is showing up and showing that she’s engaged, showing that she’s capable of stepping up to the challenges that the country and the world face.”
Milton could impact Disney, NASA
The predicted billions of dollars in damages caused by Milton will likely hit Disney’s revenue, as closures and other disruptions impact operations at Orlando’s Disney World, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis. Goldman estimated that Disney’s Parks and Experiences could lose between $150 to $200 million in pre-interest, pre-tax earnings this quarter, and reduced the company’s projected earning per share for 2025 from $5.22 to $5.14. Disney World remained open on Tuesday and the company said it was making adjustments to close some “areas with unique environments.”. Meanwhile, NASA and SpaceX have also postponed the Thursday launch of a mission that is set to explore Jupiter’s moons.