A Florida fishing boat captain faced a harrowing survival ordeal, spending over 18 hours clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Milton’s wrath in the region. The US Coast Guard successfully rescued the man on Thursday, October 10, around 1.30pm local time, approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key.

According to a Coast Guard release, the captain was found wearing a life jacket, a vital piece of equipment that likely saved his life. “This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” said Lt Cmdr Dana Grady, chief of the command centre at Sector St Petersburg. The captain’s identity has not yet been disclosed.

The captain initially contacted the Coast Guard on Monday, October 7, after his fishing boat became disabled about 20 miles off John’s Pass, prompting a rescue operation that brought him and a crew member safely back to Air Station Clearwater. Just two days later, as Hurricane Milton approached land, the captain returned to the boat around 3am to make repairs but failed to check in afterwards.

On October 9, during severe weather conditions caused by the hurricane, which included 6 to 8-foot seas and winds reaching approximately 30 mph, the Coast Guard managed to establish radio contact with the captain. He reported that the boat’s rudder had fouled, leaving him stranded. Coast Guard officials advised him to don his life jacket and stay close to the vessel’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon. Unfortunately, communications were lost shortly thereafter.

After more than 18 hours adrift, the Coast Guard launched a helicopter rescue mission. Dramatic footage captured a crew member being lowered into the turbulent waters to reach the captain, who was clinging to a small cooler. “To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 foot seas for an extended period, including overnight,” Grady noted. His survival was attributed to his life jacket, the emergency locator beacon, and the cooler he held onto.

After the rescue, the captain was shifted to Tampa General Hospital. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, around 8.30pm local time on October 9, bringing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and resulting in at least 16 fatalities so far. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released dramatic satellite footage capturing Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida, showcasing the sheer power of the storm from a cosmic perspective. The footage, released Thursday, illustrates the hurricane’s spiralling mass over the southeasternmost US state, featuring intense lightning activity that illuminates its centre.

Milton struck Florida’s west coast near Siesta Key on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, forming a striking image of its eye encircled by dense cloud bands stretching hundreds of miles. The satellite visuals highlight the storm’s massive impact on a wide area of Florida and neighbouring states.

“This imagery from NOAA’s GOES-East provides visible cloud imagery every 30 seconds of Hurricane Milton as it pushes closer to Florida. Notice the frequent lightning being detected by the satellite’s GLM instrument as well,” the caption reads.

One of the most eye-catching aspects of the imagery is the frequent lightning flashes observed in southern Florida, where multiple tornadoes formed during the storm’s passage. This captivating light show within the storm system underscores the extreme weather conditions experienced on the ground.

Milton moved across central Florida on Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction. With winds reaching up to 120 miles per hour at landfall, the hurricane caused extensive damage, uprooting trees, destroying homes, and leaving nearly 2 million people without power across the state.

Meteorologists and emergency management officials are monitoring satellite data to track Milton’s trajectory and intensity. This information is vital for issuing timely alerts and coordinating emergency response efforts.

Although Milton has since weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, it continues to pose serious risks as it travels further inland.

Debris and mud are seen in Whitson Furniture and General Store in Green Mountain, North Carolina, on October 6, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. Whitson Furniture and General Store is a 64-year-old small family business.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Florida prepared on Sunday (October 6, 2024) for its largest evacuation since 2017 as Hurricane Milton intensified in the Gulf of Mexico on its path toward the U.S. State’s western coast, coming on the heels of the devastating Hurricane Helene.

Milton, which strengthened from a tropical storm to hurricane on Sunday, was projected to make landfall on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) morning, most likely hitting near the heavily populated Tampa Bay area, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The new hurricane has the potential to affect areas already hit hard by Helene, which made landfall further north on the coast on Sept. 26.

In pictures: Rage of Hurricane Helene

Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida’s emergency management division, urged people to prepare for the “largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma.”

“I highly encourage you to evacuate,” Mr. Guthrie told Floridians in a press conference.

Milton was located about 805 miles (1,295 km) west-southwest of Tampa as of 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on Sunday, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km), the National Hurricane Center said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned of a potentially higher storm surge and more power outages from Milton compared to Helene, and said destruction from Helene could be compounded.

“There are some areas with a lot of debris, so if you get hit with a major hurricane, what’s going to happen to that debris? It’s going to increase the damage dramatically,” Mr. DeSantis said. “This is all hands on deck to get that debris where it needs to be.”

Anna Maria, an island city of 825 people at the mouth of Tampa Bay, announced a mandatory evacuation as of midday on Monday (October 7, 2024).

Mexico issued a hurricane watch for the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, the centre added. In the United States, North Carolina, Florida and much of the South were still recovering from the massive destruction caused by Helene, which killed more than 200 people across six states, making it the deadliest named storm to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina killed nearly 1,400 people in 2005.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western North Carolina and assist with the Helene response and recovery efforts, increasing the number of military personnel to 1,500. They join a massive state and local recovery effort plus 7,000 people from the federal workforce and 6,100 National Guard personnel from 12 States who have been deployed to the region, according to the White House.

The Biden administration has approved $137 million in federal assistance and promised more aid would be forthcoming, as the economic damage is projected to soar into the billions of dollars.