Hurricane Helene

As Hurricane Milton was barreling towards the coast of Florida, gathering force at a speed that stupefied scientists, following on the trail of destruction sowed by Hurricane Helene a few days earlier, an equally frightening wave of denial was rising, spreading anger and panic, hindering efforts to handle the crisis.

The death toll from Hurricane Milton has climbed to at least 14, with another fatality reported in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa. According to CNN, a woman in her late 70s died while working on restoration efforts following the hurricane. The incident occurred just after 11:00 am ET on Thursday when a large tree branch fell on her, as stated in a news release from the city.

Storm-battered Florida braced Tuesday for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as U.S. President Joe Biden begged residents to flee what he warned could be the worst natural disaster to hit the U.S. state in a century.

As the second huge hurricane in as many weeks rumbled toward Florida's west coast, a sense of looming catastrophe spread as people raced to board up homes and flee.

More than 210 people are now confirmed dead after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through several U.S. states, officials said Thursday, making it the second deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland in more than half a century.

Rescuers struggled on Sunday with washed-out bridges and debris-strewn roads in the search for survivors of devastating Storm Helene, which killed at least 63 people across five states and caused massive power outages.