Hurricane Milton expected to be so powerful, it could forever change Florida’s coastline

Question

New York Post states that Hurricane Milton will wipe out 95 percent of Florida’s west coast beaches, significantly changing the the coastline. The claim in the title matches what the content in the original source as well as the article says. The original source for this claim is linked to USGS, an official website of the U.S. government that provides scientific information. It is up to date, as it was posted on October 7, 2024. The images are provided from Fox Weather, a legitimate weather service. Other news sites such as NBC and CBS report the same news. Within the article, the text is written with no bias and is consistently citing their sources.

Answer 1

When first reading this claim I was very skeptical, especially after reading that 95% of Florida's west coast beaches will be lost. After visiting the link provided I came across even more startling statistics such as "“This is the most severe level of coastal change,” the federal agency warned — while saying that “Milton’s waves and surge” could cause “erosion and overwash” to 100% of the state’s beaches." Although the New York Post is considered "the least credible major news outlet in New York" by Wikipedia I fact-checked their statement, leading me to an article published by USGS, an official government website. 

https://nypost.com/2024/10/09/us-news/hurricane-milton-expected-to-be-so-powerful-it-could-forever-change-floridas-coastline/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post

https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/usgs-coastal-change-experts-warn-heightened-risks-floridas-west-coast 

Comments

When looking through your articles I found that two of them took me to error pages and the other one is Wikipedia. This makes me doubt the credibility of your sources and where you found your information.

Answer 2

This main claim seems highlight the scientific analysis for the theoretical impact of Milton. I found information with further links to watch-maps of the hurricane and its predicted impacts from USGS which is a federal agency. Though it seem that the NY post has had some mix factual reporting investigated by Media Bias/Fact Check. The article seems to have been uploaded on 10/9 and the USGS article was posted 10/7 with links to the live map. It does seem that others media outlets are reporting on this news such as the ABC. From my interpretation this article doesn't seem bias relying on maps and data with links to further support their claim. Generally, the title does show hints of sensationalism with the chosen diction used though the content itself is very powerful as it highlights scientific data.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-post/

https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/usgs-coastal-change-experts-warn-heightened-risks-floridas-west-coast

https://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-expect-floridas-shoreline-change-amid-hurricane-milton/story?id=114610200

https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/research/twlviewer/