Just a week after Hurricane Helene devastated large areas of the Southeastern United States, resulting in a death toll unmatched by any hurricane since Katrina in 2005, another storm, Hurricane Milton, threatened the Florida coast again as a Category 5 storm. Though later downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, it still left a wide path of destruction in its wake, most notably tearing off the roof of Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays. The stadium was serving as a shelter for National Guard troops during the storm.

The rising frequency and intensity of storms like Helene and Milton are driven by increasing global temperatures. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, higher temperatures cause “stronger wind, heavier rainfall, and more flooding when the storms hit land.” This intensifying power was evident in Hurricane Milton’s winds reaching 180 mph over the Gulf of Mexico, making it the second-most intense recorded hurricane in the Gulf’s history.

The two hurricanes resulted in the destruction of 75 billion dollars of property and at least 245 deaths, according to USA Today. Further deaths were likely prevented by an order for over 6 million residents to evacuate by Governor Ron DeSantis prior to Hurricane Milton.

The destruction may have an impact on the upcoming presidential election, as the incumbent president Joe Biden was criticized by former president Donald Trump for taking vacation during the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Trump also made false claims that hurricane relief funds were going to the housing of illegal migrants. These comments were fact-checked by the head of the governmental agency CBP, Troy Miller, who stated that the US government was “absolutely not” diverting relief funds to fund the sheltering of migrants.

On a lighter note, a Florida resident, known on the internet as “Lieutenant Dan” achieved virality when a video of him riding out Hurricane Milton in his boat went viral on TikTok. Thankfully, “Lieutenant Dan” survived the storm.