October 8, 2024
Uber Partners With Florida Emergency Management To Offer Hurricane Milton Assistance
Although the storm has weakened to a category 4 hurricane, it is still extremely dangerous.
Uber is partnering with the Florida Division of Emergency Services to give Floridians free rides to shelters in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s imminent landfall. Those in counties designated as evacuation zones will be eligible for free Uber rides.
According to NBC 2, Uber has provided a promotional code for those in Florida seeking to escape the projected life-threatening storm surges. To apply it, users in the path of the storm must tap account, located at the bottom right of the screen, and select their wallet. When prompted, enter the promotional code “MILTONRELIEF” into the field.
According to USA Today, although the storm has weakened to a category 4 hurricane, it is still dangerous. Most models predict that the storm will make landfall on Oct. 9 on Florida’s west coast.
The immediate impact is expected to be felt by the Tampa area, but the impact radius is expected to cover much of Florida. On Oct.7, the storm generated heightened concerns when it rapidly intensified from a Category 2 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane, with winds peaking at 180 miles per hour.
According to the National Hurricane Center, “Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida.”
The NHC continued, “The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.”
They cautioned that water could reach up to 15 feet between Anclote River and Englewood, 15 feet in Tampa Bay, 10 feet between Englewood and Bonita Beach, 10 feet in Charlotte Harbor, 10 feet between Yankeetown and Anclote River, seven feet between Bonita Beach and Chokoloskee, five feet between Suwanee River and Yankeetown, five feet between Chokoloskee and Flamingo, and five feet between Port Canaveral and Altamaha Sound, Georgia; if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. All locations are in Florida unless otherwise indicated.
Despite these very real concerns, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sparked outrage when an aide admitted to NBC News that Gov. DeSantis didn’t take a phone call from Vice President Kamala Harris about hurricane relief because the calls “seemed political” in nature.
In response to the report, Harris told reporters that inserting political concerns when people need help made no sense.
“You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re gonna put politics aside and put the people first,” Vice President Harris said.
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