A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, adding to the island’s woes after weeks of hurricanes, blackouts, and widespread power outages. The tremor, which was felt across the region, has left residents on edge and comes amidst a period of significant hardship for the nation.
Hurricane Rafael slammed into Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, causing widespread power outages and flooding. The storm, which had already battered Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, brought life-threatening storm surges, winds, and flash floods to the western parts of the island. This comes just two weeks after another hurricane devastated eastern Cuba, leaving the country struggling to recover.
Hurricane Rafael, now a Category 2 storm, has made landfall in western Cuba, delivering another blow to the island nation still recovering from a previous hurricane two weeks ago. The storm brought heavy rains, floods, and potential mudslides, causing power outages and prompting evacuation orders. Meanwhile, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands also experienced significant damage from the storm.
Florida is grappling with a concerning rise in Vibrio vulnificus infections, commonly known as the ‘flesh-eating bacteria,’ following recent hurricane activity. The state has reported 13 fatalities from the bacteria in 2024, a sharp increase from the previous year, with health officials linking the surge to Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and subsequent flooding. Experts highlight the importance of protecting open wounds from contaminated water and understanding the risks associated with Vibrio vulnificus infections.
As the Southeast recovers from the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, voter access is becoming a crucial issue in key battleground states like North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. This article explores the efforts being made to ensure voter participation in the upcoming 2024 presidential election amidst the ongoing recovery.
The back-to-back hurricanes Milton and Helene have wreaked havoc on Florida, causing insured losses to skyrocket to an estimated $35 billion to $55 billion, nearly four times the initial projections. This massive financial blow highlights the increasing vulnerability of the state to severe weather events and the growing burden on Florida’s insurance market.
President Biden, while delivering an update on hurricane recovery efforts, made several gaffes, including referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as ‘the president’ and joking that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is his ‘boss’. He also assured the public of the federal government’s commitment to aiding hurricane-affected areas, while criticizing online claims of inadequate response.
As Hurricanes Helene and Milton wreak havoc across the US, the upcoming presidential election has become a battleground for disaster response strategies. The candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, are utilizing the crisis to highlight their leadership abilities and criticize their opponents’ handling of the situation. With less than a month until the election, the impact of these natural disasters is shaping the political landscape and raising questions about the future of disaster preparedness in the United States.
Florida has faced another devastating hurricane, Milton, just weeks after Hurricane Helene. The Category 3 storm brought heavy rainfall, strong winds, and tornadoes, resulting in deaths, flooding, and widespread damage across the state. Officials are assessing the damage and expecting the death toll to rise. Residents are left picking up the pieces of their lives and dealing with the aftermath.
Vice President Kamala Harris has criticized former President Donald Trump for exploiting the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton for political gain. Meanwhile, President Biden has defended the federal disaster response and debunked Trump’s false claims about limited aid. Both Harris and Trump are visiting key swing states ahead of the 2024 election.
