Idalia Takes Aim At Florida; Mandatory Evacuations Underway
The Projected Storm Path, And Why More People Than Ever Are In The Storm's Way
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Good morning,
Planning a trip on over Labor Day Weekend? Some flight attendants are offering their advice on what NOT to eat and drink while flying. Top of the list: Don’t drink the tap water from the plane bathroom. (We didn’t realize that was even a thing.)
They also suggest avoiding coffee and tea prepared on board as well. Lesson: Stick to bottled beverages. And while you’re at it, avoid airplane food— the companies that make it add tons of salt so it has “a nice flavor at 40,000 feet.” Apparently, we lose 30% of our taste buds because of the cabin pressure.
The mo’ you know--
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🎙The Mo News Podcast: The US sets a new oil production record & what it means for gas prices; Why more Americans are going without home insurance; and another 2024 criminal trial date set for Donald Trump.
🗞 IDALIA EYES FLORIDA’S WEST COAST
And here we go again: Idalia is getting stronger and forecast to hit Florida's Gulf Coast— potentially anywhere along Florida’s west coast— as a major Category 3 hurricane or above with 120mph+ winds.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT STORM’S TRACK
The current cone extends from Tampa up to Apalachicola on the Panhandle, but authorities say that most of the western coast is under threat, needs to be vigilant and heed warnings to evacuate. Based on the jet stream and other factors, the storm could sharply turn east before reaching Florida’s Big Bend region.
Warnings have been issued for most of Florida’s west coast, as the state issued mandatory evacuation orders for some residents in Pasco and Levy counties, as well as low lying areas in “Zone A” along the coast.
Tampa Airport and St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport are both shutting down today. Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando is also being suspended.
WATER IS 🔥
Part of the problem this year: record hot water temperatures along the Florida coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico, several degrees warmer than previous years.
WHY IT MATTERS: Warmer water enables hurricanes to undergo rapid intensification in size in a matter of hours. The Gulf of Mexico is at its warmest since record-keeping began in 1981.
Forecasters say that “once sea surface temperatures surpass 84 degrees Fahrenheit, fully formed hurricanes often undergo rapid intensification.”
Right now Tampa Bay is 89 degrees.
Case in point: Back in 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic flooding in Texas. Climate experts say the Gulf of Mexico was hotter than normal that year, which supercharged the storm.
STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS BEFORE
Idalia’s heavy winds and storm surge are expected to batter parts of Florida’s west coast— the same coast that was hit less than a year ago by Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian was one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., making landfall on September 28th with 150 mph winds and heavy rains.
It caused at least 144 deaths and cost upwards of $110 billion in damage—the most expensive hurricane in state history.
Thousands are still recovering.
Hurricane Michael in 2018 made landfall as an unprecedented Category 5 Hurricane in the Florida Panhandle region.
It was directly responsible for 16 deaths and about $25 billion in damage.
STORMS GET WORSE AS MORE PEOPLE MOVE IN
This storm comes amid an exodus from the Northeast to Florida and the Gulf Coast. In fact, more New Yorkers moved to Florida in 2022 than any year in history.
It marks a 39% increase in outbound migration to Florida from New York compared to 2019.
And a 46% surge compared to 2017.
🏡 Some extra move-in numbers for Florida’s West Coast:
From 1970 to 2020, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area grew an astounding 623% to more than 760,000 people.
Over that same period, the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area grew to 283% to nearly 834,000 residents.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater saw growth of more than 187% and is now home to more than 3.1 million people.
AND THEN THERE’S POLITICS
We’re in an election season, which means every story has a political angle. In this case, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis left the campaign trail— where he’s polling second— and returned to his home.
Storms put local government leaders in the spotlight, testing their ability to lead and also comfort residents during major devastation.
To that end, DeSantis faced criticism during Hurricane Ian last year, when some said that local officials didn’t order evacuations early enough, and that his department of emergency management failed to warn people about the potential surge.
For his part, DeSantis recently criticized President Biden’s response to the deadly Maui fires, saying: “Biden was on the beach while those people were suffering.”
It appears the two are in sync on this hurricane as President Biden spoke with DeSantis Monday to coordinate the response.
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: Stay safe out there. On this day in 2005 Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. Nearly 2,000 people lost their lives and it caused upwards of $95 billion in damages. The bulk of the damage came AFTER the strongest part of the storm had already hit— when a levee broke and swamped much of the city.
It’s a reminder that storms are unpredictable, evacuate if you can and that you should be prepare for the unexpected.
⏳ SPEED READ
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📱BUSINESS, HEALTH & TECH
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 29
1893: American businessman and inventor Whitcomb Judson is granted a U.S. patent for a “clasp locker,” which evolved into the modern zipper.
1949: The Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb (known in the West as Joe-1); it was a direct copy of the Fat Man bomb used by the U.S. military on Nagasaki.
1997: Netflix was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Originally a DVD-rental company, it later evolved into video streaming and production.
2005: Rihanna releases her debut album ‘Music of the Sun’ featuring “Pon De Replay”
2008: John McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate, which was the first time a woman appeared on the Republican presidential ticket.