By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden is postponing his trip to Germany and Angola to oversee preparations for Hurricane Milton as it storms toward Florida, the White House announced Tuesday.
"Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast," spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden's Oct. 13-15 trip to Angola was to be his first to Africa since he assumed office in 2021, and was expected to fulfill a long-standing promise to visit the continent before he left office.
But near back-to-back hurricanes have prompted Biden to reconsider his travel. Helene swept across Florida's Big Bend region before it tore through Appalachia last week, devastating hundreds of miles of inland territory with massive flooding.
Biden on Monday morning authorized an emergency declaration for Florida as it continues to recover from the powerful storm, and braces for Milton to make landfall. The presidential action facilitates federal assistance for local authorities.
Unlike Helene, Milton is forecast to sweep across much of the northeast of Florida before moving into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
The storm was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane Tuesday after it swelled to a Category 5 on Monday. It remains "extremely powerful" and "is expected to grow in size and remain an extremely dangerous hurricane when it approaches the west coast of Florida on Wednesday," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.
"A large area of destructive storm surge will occur along parts of the west coast of Florida. This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate immediately if told to do so," it said.
The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour).
Milton is expected to remain a hurricane as it makes its way across the Florida peninsula before hitting the Atlantic Ocean, bringing with it dauntingly powerful winds and rains that are expected to result in significant flooding. Up to 16 inches (41 cm) of rain is expected in some areas.
A broad band of Florida from Tampa Bay on the west coast to Orlando further east faces a high risk of flash flooding.
The area around Tampa is also expected to receive the highest level of storm surge, or flooding resulting from rising ocean levels. The NHC estimates that waters will rise from 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) in the area.