By Allan Tompkins
Hurricane Milton, now a Category 3, is expected to keep strengthening. (Handout/NHC/TNS)
On Sunday night, Hurricane Milton was developing into a mild Category 1 hurricane, yet in just a few hours, it would evolve into a devastating Category 5 hurricane due for landfall in just a few days. This hurricane, which hasn't even reached Florida's west coast yet, is breaking records in its speed and strength. Wind speeds peaked at 175 mph, an 85 mph increase in just 12 hours. Along with this, experts are recognizing the volatility of this hurricane which hasn't been seen since the early 2000s. Meteorologist, Philip Klotzbach reported on the social media platform, X that Milton has been the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane since Hurricane Rita in 2005. Governor, Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 of 67 counties in Florida in preparation for Milton.
Climatologist, Logan Giles also reported on X that Hurricane Milton is the second-fastest hurricane ever from Category 1 to Category 5. This is faster than Hurricane Andrew, Felix, Dean and Anita which were all disastrous events.
The real damage that will be seen in Florida is along Tampa Bay which is expected to receive an 8-12 foot surge in water levels in the coming days. The damage that Wilton will inflict on Tampa and its surrounding cities is unprecedented and could cause billions of dollars worth of repairs on top of the already millions that are being spent in recovery from Hurricane Helene which hit last week. Along with this, the evacuation efforts seen within the city are reportedly going to match or even exceed the number of evacuations during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
As for businesses throughout Florida, many airlines such as Delta, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are offering full refunds for any flights coming in or out of parts of Florida throughout the week. Disney World, while it hasn't said much about closing, is declining reservations on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
Luckily for those in Miami, we are only getting the outer portion of the storm, yet that was enough to convince Miami-Dade Public Schools as well as Broward to close down on Wednesday. Grocery stores are already getting emptier as Miami residents panic to buy water and other essentials. Gas is also in demand as many residents want full tanks to prepare for the worst.
Columbus Students and Faculty Predictions
Before the news of MDCPS closing on Wednesday, some students and faculty in Columbus made predictions as to how long school would be out.
Head of Admissions, Mr. Marinelli simply said, "Man, I have no idea. We usually go off of Miami-Dade Public Schools so whatever they do, that's what we go with."
Along with Mr. Marinelli, Theology teacher and baseball coach, Mr. Rivero made a hopeful prediction for this week.
"Hopefully nothing," said Mr. Rivero.
Junior, Sebastian Lopez seemed a bit less confident in the number of days we would get off.
Another Junior, Manuel Marin, said he thinks Wednesday and Thursday will be off.
Sophomore, Daniel Hernandez had so much confidence in his prediction, I would call it more of a statement than a prediction.
"I 100% know we are not having school Wednesday or Thursday," said Hernandez.
Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Miami late Wednesday/early Thursday which might just be long enough for MDCPS to consider it too dangerous to go to school.
While the idea of the school week being shorter can be much of an excitement and relief for anyone who might be dodging an important test or quarterly, I do think it's important for everyone to also keep the parts of Florida that will be more heavily affected in their prayers. What people are going through up in Tampa and Orlando is a sad sight and there's no guarantee for a 100% survival rate by the time this storm passes. In the end, let's count our blessings, and pray for the best, least-damaging results from this natural disaster.
Thank you so much for this information Allan Tompkins keep up the great work.