This ain’t your father’s hurricane season.

Category 3 Hurricane Milton smashed into Florida just south of Tampa Bay last night with 120 mph winds, storm surges reaching 8 feet, and as many as 150 tornadoes in the east and central regions, leaving millions without power. Ten people are confirmed dead. While earlier fears of 200 mph winds and 15-foot surges didn’t materialize, don’t be fooled.

Milton was no ordinary storm.

It formed in the Bay of Campeche, where hurricanes are generally rare due to how high winds prevent them from forming. That means its eastward path is highly unusual, with the last comparable storm coming in 1848. Tampa hadn’t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in 100 years.

“Because the hurricanes of the early 21st century are not like the ones of the 20th century,” wrote meteorologist John Morales, who was recently so shocked by Hurricane Milton’s strength that he cried on air.

How? Heat.

But the genuine concern was Milton’s rapid intensification. Passing over Gulf waters three degrees warmer than average, the storm exploded into a Category 5 with winds over 180 mph—one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever. This rapid intensification was made 600 times more likely by climate change, according to Climate Central’s CSI Ocean index. Since 2017, eight Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have hit the U.S., matching the number in the previous 57 years. Storms that quickly strengthen from weak to major hurricanes have more than doubled from 2001 to 2020 compared to 1971-1990.

And while weak tornadoes are common before and during a hurricane, the ones accompanying Milton were more like what would be seen in the Great Plains in the spring, according to meteorologists.

Milton followed the equally atypical Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida’s Big Bend and then caused catastrophic flooding as a tropical storm in the landlocked Appalachian regions, where it killed hundreds. It’s a humanitarian disaster that’s still unfolding weeks later.

FEMA is stretched thin responding to both disasters, all while battling false claims, like those from some of the world’s most influential people, such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk. These lies, presumably told to weaken the current administration less than a month before the election, insert additional chaos and confusion into the lives of survivors.

The claim that the government controls the weather makes little sense, considering how often it rains in Washington, D.C.

As the recovery continues, misinformation will likely rise.

In The Meltdown this week, we cut through the lies and bring you the facts.

Before you read on, please feel free to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And share this newsletter with your friends if you think they’ll enjoy it.

Lies, damn lies

FEMA seizing property

Claim: FEMA is confiscating property in areas deemed uninhabitable after Hurricane Helene.

Fact: FEMA does not have the authority to seize private property. Its inspections are solely for assessing damages and determining what assistance might be provided to make homes safe, sanitary, and functional.

FEMA funding diverted to help noncitizens

Claim: Some rumors suggested that FEMA’s disaster relief funds were being diverted to other causes, such as border security, the war in Ukraine international efforts, or given to “illegal immigrants,” meaning no money was left for hurricane recovery.

Fact: FEMA’s disaster response efforts are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which has not been diverted to non-disaster-related efforts. FEMA continues to have sufficient funds for ongoing recovery operations.

Only certain demographic groups receive FEMA aid

Claim: FEMA distributes aid based on demographic factors, such as race, income, or immigration status, with some groups receiving more or less assistance than others.

Fact: FEMA provides disaster relief to all eligible applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or economic status. The only criteria are need and the extent of damage.

Hurricane Milton got big and bad quick

$155 million was transferred by Trump from FEMA to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019.

3.2 million were without power as of Thursday morning.

18.75 Inches of rain fell on St. Petersburg over two days, at least a 1-in-500-year rainfall event.

Zero hurricanes created by the government.

24 hours from Milton going from a tropical storm to Category 5 Hurricane

We face moral darkness

As destructive hurricanes become more frequent, we’re facing not only physical devastation but a more profound societal reckoning. Some areas of the U.S. may become uninhabitable, home insurance will skyrocket, and economic losses will accumulate, making rebuilding feel insurmountable, along with the tragic loss of life.

These storms also lay bare uncomfortable truths: human-driven climate change is rooted in our addiction to fossil fuels—a dependence sold to us by capitalism and reinforced by our oil-funded political leaders. We’ll also face tough moral choices, like abandoning pets or leaving prisoners locked up, while corporations exploit disasters, such as airlines charging more to escape the very storms they help create.

Related Reckon reads:

• I was rescued from Hurricane Helene by the military — and all I got was a lousy TikTok conspiracy.
  Reckon’s Black Joy editor Minda Honey was on a writer’s retreat outside of Asheville, North Carolina when Helene struck.
  
• Hurricane Milton could turn Florida prisons into death traps.
  Reckon’s Deputy Editor Michelle Zenarosa breaks down what happens to our country’s incarcerated population when climate disasters strike.
  
• Climate change boosted Helene’s deadly rain and wind and scientists say same is likely for Milton. Our friends over at the Associated Press detail how climate change propelled both Helene and Milton to infamy.

Thanks for reading The Meltdown. Please sign up, share, and be nice to people. Send environment and climate tips to: [email protected]

See you next week.

Chris Harress