Blog

Vladimir Putin’s holiday villa has been destroyed over growing fears over Ukrainian drone strikes, it is believed.

Satellite images reportedly show the Russian president’s Black Sea summer home near the city of Sochi is now a gaping “pit” surrounded by construction equipment. In May last year, the same arial view showed a mansion-sized ‘dacha’ (a country house in Russia, typically use a second home) along with several outbuildings set acres of guarded forest. Now, the vast area is covered in a sand-coloured Earth with no mansion to be seen.

“He has stopped flying to Sochi out of fear for his own life. The president fears drone attacks,” said Proekt, an publication set up by exiled Russians who published the photos. “The site of the dacha is now a pit.”

Putin reportedly stayed at the villa during the pandemic ( 
Image:
Proekt)
Before reportedly being bulldozed, Bocharov Ruchey served as one of the Kremlin leader’s official residences since 1991. According to Proekt, the paranoid dictator isolated himself here during the Covid pandemic, and even had a copy of his office residence in Moscow built in the home to give the illusion he was actually in the capital.

“A lot of questions remain,” Proekt added. “First of all, why did a luxurious residence need to be demolished given it had been renovated 10 years ago The answer is, probably, obvious – because of [Ukrainian] drone attacks, the president is afraid of being on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar region.

Proekt claim Putin knocked the villa down due to fears of a drone attack ( 
Image:
Google Earth/e2w)

“In 2023, Putin felt a threat to his physical safety and got scared. A Putin acquaintance confirmed to Proekt that the president is truly afraid to fly south.” Kremlin has not commented on the demolition and The Mirror have not been able to confirm whether the dacha is no longer. The Sun reports one theory actually suggests the demolition is so Putin can build an even more impressive home in the area.

The shocking pictures comes after the largest oil terminal in occupied Crimea exploded yesterday following a Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike which will likely have put a dampener on Putin’s 72nd birthday. Images show the huge Feodosia covered in flames and black toxic smoke, with an onlooker stating: “Such explosions… They hit the oil depot finally.”

The Russian occupying authorities did not admit to the drone strike but acknowledged a ‘manmade emergency’. Ukrainian armed forces general staff said they had successfully hit the marine oil terminal in Feodosia, which is the largest on the peninusula for transshipment of petroleum products used for military purposes.

A new study has discovered that the debilitating symptoms caused by long-Covid could be caused by “long-lasting brain changes”.

Researchers using cutting-edge MRI technology found that lingering breathlessness and fatigue are “likely caused by an immune response to the virus”. The University of Cambridge team deployed 7-Tesla or 7T scanners, capable of capturing extraordinarily precise images of the living brain, to look at the brainstems of 30 people who were hospitalised at the height of the Covid pandemic.

They found the brains of hospitalised patients experiencing long-Covid symptoms exhibited “abnormalities” in the parts associated with breathing. The group theorised that the lasting symptoms “might be an indirect effect of brainstem inflammatory injury following Covid-19”.

Study leaders were able to look into the brains of research subjects using high-powered imaging machines ( 
Image:
PA)
Dr Catarina Rua, a research associate at the university’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, explained that the advanced equipment allowed the researchers to peer into the brainstem to look for inflammation. She said: “Things happening in and around the brainstem are vital for quality of life, but it had been impossible to scan inflammation of brainstem nuclei in living people, because of their tiny size and difficult position.”

It is often only through post-mortem examinations that scientists can closely observe the brainstem, she added. In the unique investigation, the scientific group administered scans to 30 patients who had endured hospitalisation due to Covid-19 at the height of the pandemic, while contrasting these findings against 51 who fully recovered from the infection.

The study revealed that several areas of the brainstem, which serves as a critical link between the brain and spinal cord and oversees numerous vital functions, exhibited signs of neuroinflammatory response. These irregularities were detected weeks after patients had been hospitalised with Covid-19, specifically in regions of the brain tasked with regulating breathing.

Researchers found that people hospitalised with Covid had inflammation in a critical part of their brain ( 
Image:
PA)
Moreover, the changes were “more evident in patients with longer hospital stays, higher Covid severity, more prominent inflammatory responses and worse functional outcomes”. Dr Rua added: “The fact that we see abnormalities in the parts of the brain associated with breathing strongly suggests that long-lasting symptoms are an effect of inflammation in the brainstem following Covid-19 infection.”

She further explained: “These effects are over and above the effects of age and gender, and are more pronounced in those who had had severe Covid-19.” Professor James Rowe, one of the lead researchers, commented: “Mental health is intimately connected to brain health, and patients with the most marked immune response also showed higher levels of depression and anxiety.”

He also mentioned that “Changes in the brainstem caused by Covid-19 infection could also lead to poor mental health outcomes, because of the tight connection between physical and mental health.” Prof Rua highlighted the capabilities of the 7T scanners, stating they could track the activity of immune cells.

Researchers compared the scans of long-Covid sufferers with those who did not experience long-term symptoms ( 
Image:

“This was an incredible collaboration, right at the peak of the pandemic, when testing was very difficult, and I was amazed how well the 7T scanners worked,” she added. Prof Rowe commented: “People who were very sick early in the pandemic showed long-lasting brain changes, likely caused by an immune response to the virus. But measuring that immune response is difficult in living people.

“Normal hospital type MRI scanners can’t see inside the brain with the kind of chemical and physical detail we need.” Elaborating on the significance of the findings reported in the journal Brain, Prof Rowe said they could lead to more effective treatments for long Covid.

Explaining the crucial role of the brainstem, he noted: “The brainstem is the critical junction box between our conscious selves and what is happening in our bodies. The ability to see and understand how the brainstem changes in response to Covid-19 will help explain and treat the long-term effects more effectively.”

Support for the study came from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, along with the University of Oxford COVID Medical Sciences Division Rapid Response Fund.

The mum of missing student Jack O’Sullivan said she was ‘thrilled’ after winning a long battle to get his phone data from EE.

Catherine O’Sullivan said the mobile phone giant has allowed the release of the phone data after months to get her son’s records released – as she believes it could help unlock the mystery over what happened to him. Jack, 23, vanished without trace after being last seen at 3.15am on Saturday March 2 in the area of Brunel Lock Road/Brunel Way, in Bristol.

On a social media post, Catherine said: “I just wanted to say a huge “Thank You” to EE for allowing the release of the phone data that we have tried so hard to get over the last few months. We really appreciate the help that they have given us – thankfully common sense prevailed in the end and we are so grateful!”

Jack O’Sullivan leaving for university ( 
Image:
Courtesy Catherine O’Sullivan / / SWNS)

Jack has been missing since March ( 
Image:
Catherine O’Sullivan / SWNS)
Previously Avon and Somerset Police refused to release his phone records to the family and Catherine said they have had to take legal action to gain access to the data that includes where it was last tracked. Jack’s phone account belongs to Catherine although she has been unable to access the information.

Avon and Somerset Police said it rejected the family’s original approach in August – citing the Home Office Communications Data Code of Practice and General Data Protection Regulation. Officers also said the information had not taken the investigation any further to be able to locate Jack.

Jack O’Sullivan ( 
Image:
Avon and Somerset Police / SWNS)Don’t Miss
But Catherine, 52, of Flax Bourton, Somerset, said she wanted to review the data as she had concerns the police might have missed something. She previously said she had lost trust in the police when they realised vital CCTV clues had been missed and not followed up.

An EE spokesperson said: “We’re aware of Jack’s case. This is a police matter so we currently can’t comment any further at this time.”

Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said: “We have taken time to carefully consider the data request to see if there was any way we could agree to it in order for Jack’s family to get the answers they deserve following his disappearance. However, on this occasion, we are restricted by law and have been unable to identify a clear legal basis which would allow for the disclosure to take place.”

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner was locked in dark rooms and brutally beaten as a child, a former neighbour of the 47-year-old has claimed.

Born Christian Fischer in Bavaria, southern Germany, Brueckner was adopted as a tot after his biological mum struggled to cope and gave him up. He was then taken in by Brigitte and Fritz Brueckner, whose preferred method of discipline was to regularly beat him and his two brothers, it is alleged.

At just 15-years-old, Brueckner committed his first crime – a burglary – before turning to paedophilla, rape and drug trafficking. Alongside his life of crime, he was reportedly strictly disciplined by his “cold” parents, who would often beat and humiliate him.

A family friend of his adoptive parents said: “They were really cold; they were only interested in money. The dachshund was treated better than the children. One time she banged his head on the table. Another time he wet himself. His father pulled down his pants and hit him with his belt. When the boy started to cry, his father said, ‘If you cry, you’ll get a few more.’”

Prime Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner in court ( 

Image:

Phil Harris)

A former neighbour also told German media that the children were locked up in dark rooms and were only allowed to drink at certain times, MailOnline reports. The neighbour said: “Even as small children the boys were beaten and shouted at, Brigitte would always say children must be strictly disciplined. They revealed how Brueckner and his brother were locked in dark rooms and were only allowed to drink at set times.”

“They (foster parents) were heartless and cold. The fact that they took in the children was just a business deal for them. They spoiled their beloved dachshund but repeatedly told the boys who they were, sons of a crook and a whore.”

In 1994, Brueckner was sent to a children’s home after seriously injuring his adoptive father Fritz. There, he was found guilty of his first sex offence in which he abused another child at the age of 17.

Brueckner followed the six-year-old into a bush, took his penis out of his pants, lifted her skirt and grabbed her between the legs. He would later go on to abuse a nine-year-old, and was jailed for two years for “sexual abuse of a child, attempted sexual abuse of a child and performing sexual acts in front of a child.”

Brueckner moved to Portugal in his late teens, and is believed to have lived there between 1995 and 2007 – in a campervan located not far from the holiday resort where Madeleine McCann was abducted. He is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping an American pensioner in Praia da Luz and drug trafficking.

This morning, the 47-year-old was cleared of a string of alleged sex offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, unrelated to Madeleine’s case.

An owner of an illegal cosmetic clinic has been accused of murder after a mum she injected with a dangerous filler tragically died.

Aline Maria Ferreira da Silva, 33, from Brazil, underwent a bum-enhancement procedure at the Ame-se clinic on June 23. But one day later, she collapsed and was rushed to hospital. Things went from bad to worse when her blood pressure dropped and began to endure a racing heart rate.

The mum of two was transferred to three different hospitals and reportedly died from cardiac arrest on July 2. Grazielly da Silva Barbosa, who owns the clinic in Goiania, in the state of Goias, was arrested the day after she died.

According to reports, medics at the clinic had reportedly injected 30 millilitres of PMMA, a synthetic resin filler often used in cosmetic implants. The filler was injected into each of her bum cheeks, which experts have previously advised against due to the risk of severe complications.

The mum was a popular beauty influencer ( 
Image:
Newsflash)

Aline, who was also a beauty influencer with 40,000 Instagram followers, went back to the clinic the day after the op, saying she was suffering agonising stomach pains and a fever. But, her mother previously told local media that she was sent away and told it was a normal reaction to the bum-boosting op. Her mum previously told how Aline trusted clinic boss Barbosa after a series of successful procedures at the clinic.

She earlier said: “Because she had done so many operations there, she completely trusted the clinic owner. My daughter was healthy, she was fine. I want justice, justice has to be done.” On October 3, after a three-month investigation, police chief Debora Melo revealed that the PMMA is what likely caused Aline’s complications. It also emerged that accused Barbosa not only did not have any medical training, but had also been performing cosmetic procedures illegally since 2019.

Instead, she had only taken independent courses on aesthetics, which are not approved by health officials in Brazil. The manufacturer of PMMA, MTC Medical, reported that investigations indicate the product injected into Aline was taken from containers held by Barbosa, and the syringes were then filled with this material.

According to the manufacturer, this handling is completely different from legitimate PMMA, which is sold exclusively to doctors. Another shocking detail is also that Barbosa visited Aline at the hospital after the botched op and took it upon herself to administer an anticoagulant to the patient without the knowledge or authorisation of doctors. Barbosa, who remains under house arrest, was indicted for intentional homicide, illegal practice of medicine, providing highly dangerous services, counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products and misleading consumers.

Suspect Christian Brueckner was cleared of all charges in a separate sex attack case. The 47-year-old had been in trial in the country after being accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve, Portugal.

The charges are unconnected to the Madeleine case, which paedophile Breuckner denies any involvement in. German and British police in 2020 named him as a prime suspect in Madeleine’s May 2007 disappearance.

The three-year-old vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leicestershire, had been dining with friends. Prosecutors previously claimed to know Madeleine is dead, but have not shared what evidence they have for this claim.

Kate and Gerry McCann shared a two-sentence response ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 ( 
Image:
PA)
After Breuckner was cleared, a source close to Kate and Gerry said today: “They will not be commenting on Breuckner. They have never commented on him.”

A breakthrough had appeared to have happened three years prior, when Helge Busching, a former friend of Breuckner, called Scotland Yard with information. He claimed Brueckner had told him “she didn’t scream” when the pair discussed the case in a Spanish bar back in 2008.

Giving evidence in court, Detective Constable Mark Draycott recalled how he rang him back the following day. “Back then we still had a public phone number which was publicised around the world,” he said.

“Members of the public could ring in information in relation to Operation Grange, the Madeleine McCann investigation. One of my jobs was to check the answer phone messages. On May 18th I checked the answer phone and there was a message.

“It was from a male by the sound of his voice, he spoke good English and he asked to speak to David Edgar (private investigator). He said he had information and he left a Greek mobile number.

“I then rang this Greek mobile number and spoke to a male I now know to be Helge Lars Busching He referred to himself as Lars and he gave information in relation to the Madeleine McCann investigation.”

Busching, who has terminal cancer, was a witness in the case at Braunschweig regional court, in north central Germany, which started in February. He previously described the paedophile as “really dangerous.”

He said: “He must be brought to justice and he must be punished. We were not good friends back then and we will certainly never be good friends in the future.”

A teenager accused of the attempted murder of two teenagers and a pupil woke in a “bad mood” on the day of the attacks, a court heard.

The unnamed girl, 14, is said to have pulled out her father’s fishing knife when she was challenged over wearing non-school uniform trousers and told to leave the school hall. Swansea Crown Court was told she yelled “I’m going to f***ing kill you” and then stabbed deputy head Fiona Elias, 48, as well as special needs teacher Liz Hopkins, 53, and a 14-year-old pupil.

The girl has admitted three charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a bladed article but denies attempted murder. She told the court: “I get very upset or grumpy when I’m on my period. I woke up in a bad mood that morning.”

Giving evidence, the girl added she had armed herself with a knife in school since Year 3, because she felt “scared and worried”. She said: “I had been carrying all kinds of pocket knives and multi tools since I was in primary school.”

The teenager admitted telling friends she wanted to hurt assistant deputy head teacher Fiona Elias but said: “It was more of a joke, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” The girl said she thought “beating up a teacher” would get her expelled because she was known for being a troubled individual.

The court heard her father searched her school bag every day after she was caught in possession of a vegetable knife in lessons six months earlier and suspended for a week. She managed to smuggle her father’s multi-tool fishing knife into the 1,500-pupil Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on April 24 – the day of the stabbings.

Mrs Elias received wounds to her arms and special needs teacher Mrs Hopkin was stabbed in the neck and back when she tried to intervene. The girl went to another part of the school grounds to carry out the attack on the 14-year-old pupil who she “didn’t like”. All three were home from hospital the next day.

The court heard how, in the back of a police van, she told officers: “I’m pretty sure this is going to be on the news so more eyes will be looking at me. That’s one way to be a celebrity.”

The jury has heard that when the girl asked police if they knew the injured pupils she said: “I stabbed her, oopsies”. In court the girl said she felt “sick ” and “terrible” as she sat in the police van with an air ambulance hovering overhead.

Caroline Rees KC, defending, asked how the girl felt now. She replied: “I feel terrible, guilty. I regret the way I behave, I feel sorry, I’d do anything to go back.”

She said she didn’t attempt to murder any of the three victims and didn’t want any of them dead, adding: “I remember thinking to myself: “What am I doing? Stop. I can’t look back, it’s dark, I remember being very hot.”

The trial continues.

A new and highly transmissible Covid variant is set to boost case numbers in the UK by Thursday, with experts urging Brits to get their autumn vaccines ahead of time.

The strain, named XEC, evolved from Omicron but is more transmissible than its predecessors – and is on its way to becoming the most dominant in the UK. Experts have since warned it could represent over half of the new Covid infections in the UK by Thursday. Australian data scientist Mike Honey said: “For the UK, XEC is showing a strong growth advantage of 4.9% per day (34% per week) over the DeFLuQE variants, which predicts a crossover in mid-October.”

It comes after the NHS warned the country may be set for a potential ‘tripledemic’ of viruses this winter. If Brits fail to book their winter vaccines against the flu, covid-19 and RSV while the country enters what is expected to be a challenging winter, public health bosses say the three viruses could combine into a ‘tripledemic’. The warning follows thousands being hospitalised with the viruses in Australia during their winter months – usually a predictor of what will happen in Britain.

Here is everything we know so far about the new XEC variant and how to protect yourself from falling ill this winter.

What are the tell-tale symptoms of the new XEC variant?

The XEC variant is believed to have evolved from Omicron ( 
Image:
PA)

The XEC variant is believed to have evolved from a combination of two previously identified Omicron subvariants, KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

It is considered a “recombinant variant”, which forms when two seperate variants infect a host at the same time, allowing the viruses to switch genetic information. This results in the creation of a new variant with characteristics from both “parent” lineages.

KS.1.1 is one of the group commonly known as “FLiRT” variants, while, KP.3.3 is one of the “FLuQE” variants. Both have contributed to recent surges in Covid infections globally. Symptoms are similar to previous variants and include a high temperature, aches, tiredness as well as a cough or sore throat. Both groups have been implicated in recent global Covid surges.

Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, told the LA Times that XEC is “just getting started”. He stated: “And that’s going to take many weeks, a couple of months, before it really takes hold and starts to cause a wave. XEC is definitely taking charge.”

How to get a test kit

According to the NHS, you’re no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if you have symptoms, but if you’re unwell or suspect you have Covid symptoms, you should try to stay at home and avoid contact with others to prevent spreading the infection.

While routine Covid testing is not recommended, people can still buy a test to carry out at home for around £2 from High Street and online chemists.

Who can get a free vaccine or booster jab?

Some Brits are eligible for free vaccines and boosters ( 
Image:
PA)
The NHS has been administering flu and Covid boosters and vaccinations since October, but at the moment, only some people qualify for free jabs.

Among those eligible are all individuals aged over 65, elderly care home residents, clinical risk groups, and frontline health and social care workers. These groups are being urged to get the jab to protect themselves as part of an Autumn Covid booster drive.

UKHSA Deputy Director, Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, has urged those contacted by the NHS to get their autumn vaccines ahead of time.

Dr Gayati said: “It is normal and expected for viruses to genetically change over time. UKHSA continues to monitor all available information relating to emerging Covid variants in the UK and internationally and to publish our data regularly. Vaccination provides the best protection against serious illness from Covid-19, and we urge those who are contacted by the NHS to come forward to receive their autumn vaccine.”

For those who are not eligible for a free jab, High Street pharmacies and private clinics also offer Covid vaccinations, with prices ranging from £45 to £99.

Madeleine McCann prosecutors have admitted “the clock is ticking” as they scramble to charge Christian Brueckner over her disappearance.

The German paedophile was sensationally cleared this morning of carrying out a string of unrelated sex crimes in Portugal. Furious prosecutors have said they will take the case to the Supreme Court to appeal the verdicts and ask for a retrial.

But if they fail Brueckner will walk free from prison next September at the end of his seven-year sentence for rape. The only other way he can be kept behind bars is if the 47-year-old is charged over Madeleine’s 2007 disappearance.

This morning, he was cleared of carrying out a string of unrelated sex crimes in Portugal ( 
Image:
Phil Harris)

Brueckner with his defence lawyer Dr Friedrich Fulscher ( 
Image:
Phil Harris)
Police are powerless to stop him leaving Germany, including to countries who do not have an extradition treaty. Madeleine prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters admitted for the first time that they are in a race against time to charge him.

“Christian Brueckner is our prime suspect and still our only suspect,” he told the Mirror outside court in Braunschweig. “Nothing has changed in the last four years. We have evidence that he killed Maddie McCann.

“We have no forensic evidence, but we have evidence. If it’s enough, I can’t say at the moment. The clock is ticking. We only have one year. I’m not worried but we have to realise that we maybe have to come to a decision next summer.

“If the Supreme Court rules in our favour before his release, then we will try to get an arrest warrant for his retrial on these cases. But if they say there will be no retrial then we only have the Maddie case.

Police are powerless to stop him leaving Germany ( 
Image:
Phil Harris)
“If we don’t have enough evidence, then he will walk free from prison. We can charge him later, obviously, but If he leaves Germany then it’s not easy for us to bring him back for trial. For a trial in Germany you must be here, you must be part of the trial.

“We can’t stop him going wherever he wants to go after he is released. It would be a problem to bring him back to Germany. The only way is to get an arrest warrant before his release. And there are only two possibilities left – a retrial or the Maddie case.

“The clock is ticking. We only have one year. Now is not the time for us to put it on the table and decide if we should charge him. Maybe we will come to this point in the next year. Maybe we have to put it on the table then.

“There will be no new trial before Christian Brueckner’s time in prison comes to an end in September next year. We can’t wait for other trials. We have to look forward to the decision of the Supreme Court.”

Florida residents have been issued a major evacuation as Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Wednesday morning with winds of up to 180mph – with the Mayor warning ‘if you stay you will die”.

There are fears that the hurricane’s winds and expected massive surge could bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago and still recovering from Ian’s wrath two years ago. Almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast is now under a hurricane warning.

The hurricane scale includes five categories based on the storm’s sustained wind speed, as well as the potential damage to property – ranging from “some damage” to “catastrophic”. The highest level is Category 5, which refers to a storm reaching wind speeds of 157mph or higher.

People fill sandbags as Florida prepares for the arrival of the hurricane ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Milton is classed under Category 5, but there is speculation that as the hurricane “supercharges” into a huge storm, it might actually reach wind speeds that would make it fall under an unprecedented Category 6 – with winds of over 192mph. Retired scientist Jim Kossin told USA Today that Category 5 is “becoming more and more inadequate with time because climate change is creating more and more of these unprecedented intensities.”

Orlando meteorologist Noah Bergen described the storm as “nothing short of astronomical” as he wrote on X, formerly called Twitter: “This is nothing short of astronomical. I am at a loss for words to meteorologically describe you the storms small eye and intensity. 897mb pressure with 180 MPH max sustained winds and gusts 200+ MPH.”

He also said Milton is the fifth strongest hurricane ever recorded by pressure. The expert added: “This hurricane is nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.”

Heavy traffic in St Petersburg, Florida, as thousands evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The centre of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 per cent of the time.” The mayor also warned the city’s nearly 400,000 residents that if they don’t evacuate before the hurricane makes landfall, they risk dying.

Castor told CNN: “If you choose to stay … you are going to die.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Monday that it was imperative for debris from Helene to be cleared ahead of Milton’s arrival so the pieces cannot become projectiles. More than 300 vehicles gathered debris Sunday.

Workers place sheets of wood over windows and glass doors to protect them from strong winds in Cancun, Mexico ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)Don’t Miss
As evacuation orders were issued, forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. This is the highest ever predicted for the region and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, said National Hurricane Centre spokesperson Maria Torres.

The storm could also bring widespread flooding, with five to 10 inches of rain forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, and as much as 15 inches expected in some places. The Tampa metro area has a population of more than 3.3 million people. “It’s a huge population. It’s very exposed, very inexperienced, and that’s a losing proposition,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said. “I always thought Tampa would be the city to worry about most.”

About 150 miles south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was nearly a ghost town by Monday afternoon as an evacuation order took effect. Hurricane Ian devastated the 5,000-resident community two years ago, with its 15-foot storm surge destroying or severely damaging 400 homes and businesses. Fourteen people died there as they tried to ride out the storm, and dozens had to be rescued.

Debris left by Hurricane Helene piled up in the street in front of homes in Treasure Island, Florida ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)

On Monday, the few residents who could be found were racing against the clock to safeguard their buildings and belongings. None said they were staying. The signs of Ian’s devastation remain visible everywhere. Rebuilt homes stand next to others in various states of construction. There are numerous vacant lots, which were once rare.

“This whole street used to be filled out with houses,” said Mike Sandell, owner of Pool-Rific Services. His workers were removing and storing pumps and heaters Monday from his clients’ pools so they wouldn’t get destroyed.

Home construction supplies like bricks, piping and even workers’ outhouses lined the streets, potential projectiles that could do further damage if a surge hits. The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980’s Allen, which reached wind speeds of 190 mph as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico.