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Hurricane Milton hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, causing significant damage and a rising death toll. The rainfall in Tampa during the hurricane was a 1,000-year rain event, and researchers believe that climate change made the storm's rainfall even worse. The human impact of the hurricane is heartbreaking, with stories of loss and resilience emerging. There has also been an increase in scams targeting vulnerable people in the aftermath of the hurricane. The political response to the hurricane has been mixed, with debates about how to address natural disasters as a country. The long-term implications of these storms and the frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change are causing some Floridians to question if it is sustainable to continue living in vulnerable areas. This situation calls for a reevaluation of infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and personal risk tolerance. It is important to stay informed and engaged in understanding the deeper impacts of these eve Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're diving deep, going way beyond just the headlines to really try and understand what's happening in Florida right now in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Yeah, it's about kind of peeling back the layers, getting to those details and the intricacies of the hurricane's effects. Right. And we know this is a Category 3 hurricane that hit late Wednesday night, and the death toll is unfortunately climbing. It's currently sitting at 16, but we know that number is expected to rise. Millions of people are without power, and the physical damage is just unbelievable. But on top of all of that, the political stuff is already in full swing. Right. But we're here to look beyond the immediate, just the initial impact, and really uncover the why behind a lot of this, and really hone in on those human stories. Yeah. And it's so important to remember that this hurricane has affected so many people, and their stories are a really important part of understanding the overall impact of the hurricane. Absolutely. Okay. So let's jump right into it. One of the things we keep hearing about with Hurricane Milton is this 1,000-year rain event that impacted Tampa Bay. Can you help us understand what that actually means? Sure. You know, when we hear 1,000-year rain event, it doesn't actually mean it happens every 1,000 years. All right. It just means that in any given year, there's a one-in-1,000 chance of that much rain falling. It's a way for us to understand just how rare and severe this rainfall in Tampa actually was. So definitely not your average rainy day. No. No, not at all. And what's really got people talking is the connection between this extreme rain and climate change. Okay. So researchers over at World Weather Attribution, they've been busy looking at all the data from Hurricane Milton, and what they're finding is that climate change actually made the hurricane's rainfall a lot worse, maybe even 20% to 30% worse. Yeah. So climate change basically made the storm wetter. That's essentially it. And their research is showing that because of all the warming we've caused, storms like Hurricane Milton, they're about twice as likely to happen now. It's scary to think about that. So it's not just something we're going to have to deal with down the road. This is happening right now here and affecting us all. Yeah. And speaking about now, you know, we can't ignore the human impact of this hurricane, and it's just heartbreaking. There was a story about a 66-year-old woman named Deborah Kennedy who died in St. Lucie County during the tornado outbreak. Oh, gosh. Yeah. And, you know, it's very easy to hear these big statistics and just kind of brush past them, but every single one is a life lost, a family completely torn apart by this. Deborah's daughter said, and I quote, I want the world to know what an amazing person my mother was, the best mother anyone could ask for. And that just really got to me. It really makes you think about all the other stories out there just like hers. It does. And, you know, amidst all of this tragedy, we're also seeing these incredible stories of resilience and like real human courage. Something like almost a thousand people had to be rescued during the storm. Wow. A thousand. That's a massive rescue operation. Yeah. It really puts the scale of the storm into perspective. Absolutely. And, you know, even when the immediate danger is gone and the storm has passed the road to recovery, it's a long one and it can be really, really hard. Right. It is. And unfortunately, you know, there are always people out there who try to take advantage of others, especially in these kinds of situations. Yeah. It's awful, but we've got to talk about it. Yeah. Florida officials have been putting out warnings about this because apparently there's been a surge in scams post-hurricane yay. Oh, really? Like fake contractors and people pretending to be with charities just trying to take advantage of people when they're at their most vulnerable. It's so important to be aware of that, especially right now. It's a shame that people already going through so much have to worry about being scammed on top of everything else. Yeah. Okay. So, we've talked about the immediate impact, the long-term stuff with climate change, these heartbreaking stories of loss and, unfortunately, these scams, but we also can't ignore the political side of all of this, can we? Yeah. It's interesting, right? It seems like natural disasters almost always become politicized to some extent. We've got Vice President Kamala Harris on one side, and she's basically saying, hey, stop politicizing this. But then you've got former President Trump, and he's criticizing how the administration's handling things. So, it really raises these bigger questions like, how should we be addressing these kinds of events as a country? Yeah. It just feels like we're increasingly looking at these situations through a political lens first. I don't know. It just seems like it shouldn't be about scoring points when people are hurting like this. We should be coming together to support each other. Yeah. The problem with this whole politicization thing is that it has real consequences. It could actually make it harder to get help to the people who need it, and it can make people less trusting of the government and organizations that are trying to help. Yeah. It makes you wonder if all this back and forth actually makes it harder to find solutions that actually work and help people in the long run. Right. Exactly. Okay. So, we've covered a lot of ground here. The immediate impact of Hurricane Milton, the long-term implications of climate change, the human costs, these political battles that are going on, and even the scams. It's a lot. But what happens now? How do people even begin to pick up the pieces after something like this? It's a really good question, and it's something that a lot of Floridians are asking themselves right now, especially since they got hit by Hurricane Helene just a few weeks ago. Yeah. Two major hurricanes back to back. I mean, that's got to be incredibly tough, not even just to physically recover from, but emotionally too. Right. And it really highlights how much more frequent and intense these kinds of weather events are becoming because of climate change. It makes you wonder, how much can people take? I was reading this article, actually, and it was about Floridians who are asking themselves that very question. They love where they live. They love their communities. But after going through multiple hurricanes, they're starting to question if staying there is even possible long-term. Emotionally and even just financially, is it possible to keep rebuilding? It's a tough question. I mean, at a certain point, how much can you really expect people to just bounce back from? It makes me wonder if maybe we need to be rethinking how we approach living in a world where these events are becoming more and more common. Exactly. We can't just keep rebuilding the same way and expect things to be different. These more frequent and intense disasters mean we need to seriously rethink our infrastructure, how prepared we are for disasters, and our social safety nets, and even our own personal tolerance for risk. It's a lot to think about. This whole conversation has been really eye-opening. I thought I knew a bit about the situation in Florida, but hearing you talk about all of this, it really adds a whole other layer to it. It's so much more than just, oh, here's the wind speed, here's the flood zone, there's the human costs, the political battles, this much bigger picture of climate change. It's a lot to process. Yeah, it is, but that's what we're here for, right? To go beyond just the headlines and really get people thinking about these events in a deeper way. We can't just sit back and watch this happen. Absolutely not. Well, on that note, I want to say a huge thank you to you for taking the time to break all of this down for us. I really appreciate it. Yeah, of course. Happy to be here. And to our listeners, we hope this Dive Dive gave you a better understanding of the real impact of Hurricane Milton. Like we said, it's a lot to take in, but we believe it's important to stay informed, to keep asking the tough questions, and to stay engaged. We'll catch you on our next Deep Dive.