At a Thursday press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pushed back against attempts to link Hurricane Milton to climate change, responding to a reporter’s question about recent storms forming rapidly, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which have caused significant flooding and high winds throughout Florida.
The reporter asked, “Speaking of history, sir, how many storms formed as rapidly as they have between Helene and Milton?” DeSantis responded by pointing out historical hurricane patterns in the state.
“Oh, I think most people remember 2004 where it seemed like you had them every other week in 2004,” DeSantis said. “Then there’s also time periods, you know, we had from 2006 to ’16, we had no hurricanes at all in Florida. There’s also been times where we had a lot. The 1940s, we were getting hit a lot. Now more recently, we’ve had a spade of more. So that’s just kind of the nature of it. But this really does have a lot of similarities to 2004 in terms of the season.”
Some public figures, including Bill Nye and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have attributed the recent hurricanes’ rapid intensification to climate change and rising temperatures. However, DeSantis highlighted historical data to illustrate that Florida has always experienced fluctuations in hurricane frequency and intensity.
Read: Hundreds Rescued From Flooded Clearwater Apartment Complex After Hurricane Milton
Since 1851, 28 hurricanes, seven of which were Category 3 or higher, have made landfall in Southwest Florida. Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm, bringing sustained winds of 120 mph and causing widespread flooding in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg areas. The storm left over 3 million people without power, and at least 10 fatalities have been confirmed, including five in St. Lucie County.
The impact of Hurricane Milton comes just weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, resulting in a death toll of at least 227 as authorities continue rescue and recovery efforts, according to the Associated Press.
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