Hurricane "Milton" could lead to catastrophic consequences, Biden's visit to Germany postponed (video)

Due to the impending hurricane, US President Joe Biden will not travel to Germany on October 10. As the White House said on October 8, it is not yet clear when this visit will take place.

Solved postpone the trip Biden and to Angola, where the American president planned to fly after Germany. The US administration has expressed serious concern about a strong storm that appears to be heading towards areas recently hit by Hurricane Helen.

In Berlin they regret, but understand the decision. German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit expressed regret over the decision to postpone Biden's visit. However, the federal government is “certainly understanding about the situation in Florida,” he added. According to Hebestreit, The White House previously informed the German authorities about the decision.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also postponed a trip to Germany, where a meeting of the contact group on Ukrainian defense issues (Ramstein format) is due to take place, in connection with Hurricane Milton, which is expected in Florida. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this during a briefing.

The Pentagon decides Should we postpone the Ramstein meeting in Germany?scheduled for Saturday October 12 due to the hurricane and changes in plans by US President Joe Biden. “Voice of America” citing a statement by Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh during a briefing reports:

“Due to Hurricane Milton, President Biden is no longer traveling to Ramstein to participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. We are still working through how this will impact the Secretary's schedule.”

Answering the question whether they plan reschedule the meeting of the group on the defense of Ukraine, combining it with the meeting of NATO defense ministers on October 17-18the Pentagon said that they do not yet have a final decision:

“We're just now figuring that out. So when there are updates, I'll be sure to provide them. As you know, the president just canceled his trip this morning. So we're working through those details. We'll update when we know more.”

Hurricane Milton has weakened slightly in recent hours and is now a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of about 230 km/h. The US National Hurricane Center forecast that this is an “extremely dangerous hurricane that will hit the Florida coast.”

How writes euronews, about five million people were ordered to evacuate. Hurricane Milton is expected to reach the southwest coast of Florida by Wednesday evening local time. The hurricane impacted the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday, knocking down power lines, lamp posts and trees before heading toward the Florida coast.

Meteorologists fear the hurricane could be one of the most destructive on record.. It is forecast to weaken before reaching land, but will grow in size, with devastating effects likely to affect a large area.

The authorities have issued orders to mandatory evacuation in 11 Florida counties with a total population of about 5.9 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that the 15-foot storm surge forecast for her city would be powerful enough to swallow an entire house:

“If you are ordered to evacuate, you must evacuate now. By now, now, you should have evacuated by now. This is a matter of life and death. This is not hyperbole. This is a matter of life and death.”

The hurricane's projected path into Florida's interior has closed some of Florida's largest and most beloved attractions, including all four of Walt Disney World Resort's main theme parks. They are in a hurry to remove garbage and debris left from the streets. Hurricane Helen, which killed 230 people. Less than two weeks have passed since it, and work continues to clear debris in the affected areas.

Scientists warn that continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more hurricanes like Helen, with widespread flooding inland, not just along the coast. Many of those who died during Helen were victims not of strong winds, but of massive inland flooding.

Human-caused climate change has increased rainfall in this destructive hurricane by about 10% and increased wind strength by about 11%, scientists said in a new study.

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