By Guardian - Richard Luscombe/Edward Helmore-Thu 10 Oct 2024

At least four people were confirmed killed on Thursday as Florida began to assess the damage from Hurricane Milton, a category 3 storm that caused extensive property damage across the state and left more than 3.4m homes and businesses without power.

Authorities said the fatalities were in a senior community in St Lucie county that was struck by a tornado formed in Milton’s outer bands. The tornado happened before the hurricane made landfall near Sarasota on Florida’s western coast on Wednesday evening.

Parts of Sarasota, Fort Myers, Venice and other Gulf coast cities were inundated by up to 10ft of storm surge while tornadoes wrecked buildings, including a sheriff’s department facility, the skies turned purple and winds as high as 120mph (193km/h) turned cars, trees and debris into projectiles.

t a Thursday morning press briefing, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, said more than 40 rescues had taken place in several counties, search and rescue operations were ongoing, and that “it was too soon to tell” how many had people had died.

The Tampa police department released video of officers rescuing multiple children from a house that was partially destroyed by a fallen tree.

DeSantis, however, said forecasters’ worst feas of a storm surge up to 15ft in the densely populated cities of Tampa and St Petersburg had not been realized. The worst-hit county, Sarasota, he said, saw an 8-10ft wall of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico.

“Thankfully it was not the worst-case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene,” he said, referring to the category 4 storm that struck Florida 12 days previously, and which caused at least 232 deaths in six states.

“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” the governor added.

Milton made landfall on Siesta Key south of St Petersburg around 8.30pm on Wednesday. Eight hours later it moved offshore just north of Cape Canaveral as a category 1 hurricane with winds of 85mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Although the core of Milton had moved into the Atlantic, the NHC warned of significant ongoing hazards.

“Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida peninsula through this morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding,” it said in a Thursday morning advisory.

Floridians awoke Thursday to scenes of devastation in a number of counties. A crane collapsed in downtown St Petersburg leaving a gash in an office building, blocking a street, the water supply was cut, and the roof of a Major League Baseball stadium was ripped off.

It will take days for the damage to be assessed, but insurers have warned that losses could reach $60bn. Tornadoes that accompanied the approach of the storm may prove as damaging as the hurricane itself: at least 116 tornado warnings were issued across Florida, DeSantis said on Wednesday evening.

The four deaths in St Lucie county were at the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, WQCS reported. Kevin Guthrie, director for the Florida division of emergency management, said that early reports indicated about 125 homes were destroyed, mostly mobile homes in senior communities.

Inland, about 11 million people are at risk of flash and river flooding after some parts of the state received one-in-1,000-year amounts of rain.

In Bradenton, north of Sarasota, the police chief said “probably” more than 60% of the city had no electricity. In Hillsborough county, which includes Tampa, the sheriff’s office said there were “downed power lines and trees everywhere”.

According to poweroutage.us, more than 3.4m homes and businesses in Florida were without power at 10am ET on Thursday.

But the powerful storm surge that authorities predicted ahead of Milton’s arrival may not have been as bad as projected. Communities to the north of Siesta Key were hit by heavy rain, predicted to be up to 18in, while areas to the south, including Fort Myers Beach and Naples, were hit by the storm’s sea-surge.

Some forecast models had predicted that Milton would hit squarely on Tampa Bay’s inlet, creating a 15ft storm surge, but the storm’s path wobbled, directing it about about 70 miles south to hit the beaches.

Still, just inland from Tampa, the flooding in Plant City was “absolutely staggering”, according the city manager, Bill McDaniel. Emergency crews rescued 35 people overnight, said McDaniel, who estimated the city had received 13.5in of rain.

“We have flooding in places and to levels that I’ve never seen, and I’ve lived in this community for my entire life,” he said on Thursday morning.

Milton, which formed close to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula earlier in the week, at times reached maximum category 5 status with winds of 200mph as it crossed the Gulf towards Florida.

Ahead of the storm’s arrival, the state issued mandatory evacuation orders across 15 Florida counties with a total population of about 7.2 million people. Anyone who stayed behind was warned they would have to fend for themselves until the hurricane passed over.

Among some who stayed were 12 workers at Tampa’s zoo, located in the evacuation zone, where they made sure orangutans had blankets, manatees had supplies of lettuce and rhinoceroses had bamboo.

Now, Florida is faced with a huge cleanup. In Orlando, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Sea World remained closed on Thursday. At the news conference, DeSantis said 9,000 national guard members were ready to step in, as well as 50,000 utility workers from as far as California.

“Unfortunately, there will be fatalities. I don’t think there’s any way around that,” DeSantis said.

Read also.

HUMAN-CREATED CLIMATE UNBALANCE

By AI-ChatGPT4o - 04 October. 2024

In conclusion, while cloud seeding and other weather modification practices offer potential solutions to water resource management and disaster mitigation challenges, their implementation carries inherent risks and uncertainties. The documented instances of unintended consequences, such as severe storms, floods, and extreme temperatures, underscore the need for cautious and responsible use of these technologies.

Over thousands of years, Earth's climate has followed a natural equilibrium, driven by intricate atmospheric, oceanic, and biological processes. However, human activities, particularly in the last century, have begun to interfere with this balance. Practices such as large-scale cloud seeding, deforestation, and industrial emissions have contributed to a destabilization of weather systems. The principles of Chaos Theory, particularly the Butterfly Effect, help illustrate how small, seemingly insignificant changes in a complex system—like a slight atmospheric alteration—can cascade into large, unpredictable shifts in weather patterns.

The Butterfly Effect, named for the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can set off a chain of events leading to massive changes elsewhere, encapsulates the delicate balance of Earth’s climate system. Human interventions in atmospheric conditions, however well-intentioned, have led to ripple effects that manifest in more extreme and frequent weather events. These disruptions have contributed to the climate’s overall imbalance, further exacerbated by actions like cloud seeding that amplify the forces of chaos within an already fragile system.

As we navigate the complexities of weather modification, it is imperative to prioritize scientific rigor, ethical integrity, and environmental sustainability. Robust research, stringent regulation, and transparent communication are essential pillars for ensuring the safe and responsible deployment of weather modification techniques. If not approached with caution, these interventions could continue to tip the natural systems even further into chaos.

Moreover, we must recognize the interconnectedness of weather systems and the delicate balance of the natural world. Any intervention in atmospheric processes must be guided by a profound respect for the environment and a commitment to protecting the well-being of ecosystems and communities. A failure to understand or respect this balance could result in further pushing climate systems into states of unpredictability, making the future even more uncertain.

By embracing a holistic approach that integrates scientific expertise, ethical principles, and stakeholder engagement, we can harness the potential of weather modification while minimizing risks and maximizing benefits. As Chaos Theory teaches us, small changes can lead to vast consequences. Therefore, we must tread carefully, mindful of the profound responsibility we bear as stewards of our planet’s climate systems. The need for a balance between human intervention and respect for nature’s complexity has never been greater.

This version brings together the core points about weather modification, Chaos Theory, and the Butterfly Effect, emphasizing how human actions have upset the planet’s natural climate balance.

The climate system is an intricate network composed of many interconnected elements, each playing a vital role in maintaining the planet’s overall balance. Among these are the horizontal and vertical wind systems, the oceanic currents like the Gulf Stream, and the various effects of solar activity, including normal sunrays and sunspot explosions.

Wind Systems: Horizontal and vertical wind systems work together to distribute heat and moisture around the globe. Horizontal winds, such as the trade winds and jet streams, move air masses across the planet, influencing weather patterns and helping regulate global temperatures. Vertical winds, including updrafts and downdrafts, play a crucial role in the formation of storms, rainfall, and cloud dynamics. These wind systems are deeply interconnected and work in harmony to maintain atmospheric equilibrium.

Ocean Currents: The Gulf Stream is one of the most critical components of the Earth’s climate system. This powerful Atlantic Ocean current transports warm water from the Gulf of Mexico toward Europe, significantly influencing the climate of the North Atlantic region. By moving warm water and distributing heat, the Gulf Stream helps moderate temperatures in coastal regions and drives large-scale oceanic circulation patterns, which in turn impact weather and climate globally.

Solar Activity: Solar radiation, including normal sunrays, is the primary energy source driving Earth’s climate. It influences surface temperatures, ocean currents, and wind systems. However, variations in solar activity, such as sunspot explosions, can also impact climate conditions. Sunspot explosions, or solar flares, can cause temporary increases in solar radiation, affecting the Earth’s magnetosphere and atmospheric conditions. While these solar variations are part of the natural cycle, they interact with other climate systems and can contribute to shifts in weather patterns.

All of these components—wind systems, ocean currents, and solar influences—are tightly coordinated in maintaining a dynamic balance. However, human interventions, including cloud seeding and large-scale environmental disruptions, can interfere with these natural processes, destabilizing the climate system.