Hurricane Milton’s path of destruction

A drone image shows a flooded street due to Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on Thursday.

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

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Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

A drone image shows a flooded street due to Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on Thursday.

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

Hurricane Milton tore a path of destruction through Florida late Wednesday, leaving multiple dead and wrenching buildings apart.

Many across the southeastern U.S. were still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, which hit less than two weeks ago, when Milton slammed into Florida’s gulf coast.

“The day is dawning on a major catastrophe across Florida,” Congresswoman Kathy Castor — who represents Florida’s 14th district, which includes Tampa — told Morning Edition on Thursday.

“Raging winds, blowing rain, power lines going down — this is going to have a major impact to our infrastructure, our water, waste water, roads, bridges.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Milton had been downgraded to a tropical storm, but the National Hurricane Center said storm surge still posed a risk across portions of the southeastern U.S. coast. Meanwhile, tens of thousands remain displaced or in shelters.

As Hurricane Milton leaves Florida, residents and officials must again navigate the clean-up rescue and recovery efforts from a powerful storm.

For one meteorologist, the cycle of devastation — and the unavoidable conversation about climate change — is leaving a mark.

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A changed man

Before Hurricane Milton made landfall, John Morales made headlines for his emotional on-air reaction to the sheer size of the approaching storm.

Morales is a veteran meteorologist in South Florida, known to millions for his years with NBC6. He told All Things Considered host Scott Detrow on Thursday that he received the warning about Milton’s size right before going on air.

“My eyes widened. I looked at the pressure drop. I looked at the intensity,” he said.

“I’ve done some introspection, both this occasion and also really leading up to this … [about] how the increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events has changed me, you know. In other words, these are climate-driven events, and I just simply cannot be the same non-alarmist guy that I was in the 20th Century.”

Morales said he believes those who dismiss the peer-reviewed evidence of climate change’s impact on severe weather events are in the minority, but that there are some politicians who choose to “play up to that tribe.”

“That’s how you see some of the things that happen in Florida, the things that might happen in Texas, and some of the disinformation being put out there by some pretty radical, extreme politicians,” he said.

What does the future look like?

President Biden on Thursday gave an update on the hurricane response, warning that conditions were still “very dangerous” in Florida.

“People should wait to be given the all-clear by their leaders before they go out,” Biden said, noting that often more lives are lost after a hurricane than during the storm itself.

Morales took a longer-range view about what the future looks like for places like South Florida, which are expected to face more and stronger storms in the years ahead due to climate change.

“Resiliency has its limits,” he said. “You always hear — particularly politicians — say, ‘We’re going to invest in resiliency, we’re going to adapt,’ as opposed to mitigate, right?”

Morales said adaptation will be required, but he is also now thinking about a “managed retreat” from places that simply won’t be able to survive future hurricanes.

“I know the Florida Keys are [talking about this],” he said. “Even political appointees in the Florida Keys are now speaking openly about retreat, which means abandoning certain areas that are going to go underwater due to sea level rise, and yes, increasing storm surges, which are driven by sea level rise.”