Massive devastation in the southeastern United States: Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc in the states of Florida and North and South Carolina in the United States after making landfall on the coast of Florida late Tuesday night. Several states have declared full states of emergency to mobilize the National Guard.
Thousands of homes have been flooded and damaged in the state of Florida as a result of flooding caused by heavy rainfall and rising sea levels, rivers and lakes in the southern state. According to the Federal Weather Service, 22 inches of rain fell in different parts of the country in less than 24 hours. 150 residents were evacuated from a rapidly flooded residential neighborhood in one of the state's districts. Nearly half a million people remain without power in Florida and Georgia.
Florida: Residential neighborhood flooded during Hurricane Idalia // Photo: Reuters
South Carolina also recorded abnormal rainfall brought by the storm. The Port of Charleston, on the Atlantic coast, recorded the highest water level in the city's recognized history. Authorities in the city have announced the evacuation of areas close to the coastline and there is a risk of severe flooding in the city center.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis near a collapsed tree on his estate,
In Florida, an ancient oak tree collapsed at the estate of Ron DeSantis, the state's governor and Republican candidate in the presidential race. DeSantis held a press conference near the debris of the tree, which did not damage the structure, and promised to crack down on looters. "You loot, we will shoot," the governor warned.
Scientists believe that the storm's tremendous strengthening ahead of its arrival on the U.S. coast is related to rising water temperatures in the ocean, near coastal areas. Professor Tom Knutson, a senior climate researcher at the Washington Weather and Water Authority, told CNN that even a small warming of three to four percent in water temperatures can lead to a "catastrophic increase" in tropical storms.
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