New storms threaten

Florida declares state of emergency due to tropical storm

Tropical storm "Milton" (marked in red) is currently raging in the west of the Gulf of Mexico.(Bild: NOAA)

After the devastating hurricane "Helene", Florida is already facing the threat of the next severe storm. In preparation for tropical storm "Milton", the governor of the US state, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency in 35 counties on Saturday.

The National Weather Service announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the storm, which is currently raging in the west of the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to develop into "a major hurricane" as it moves towards Florida.

According to the weather service, "Milton" is expected to hit Florida's west coast in the middle of the week. The region is still suffering from the effects of storm Helene, which struck there on September 26 as the second-highest category four hurricane.

Up to 600 dead from Hurricane "Helene"?
"Helene" killed more than 210 people in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, 14 of them in Florida. Numerous buildings were damaged or completely destroyed, and in many places the power supply was paralyzed. It is even feared that the hurricane may have claimed up to 600 lives.

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. According to experts, increasing global warming increases the likelihood of strong storms. The hurricane season begins in the Atlantic on June 1 and lasts until November 30.