A state of emergency has been declared in parts of Florida after forecasters warned a tropical storm could intensify and hit the already-ravaged Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Centre warned that Storm Milton - currently off the coast of Mexico - was "expected to strengthen rapidly" and could pose "life-threatening hazards" for parts of Florida's west coast.

Florida is bracing for another potentially dangerous and costly hurricane less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated a wide swath of the US Southeast.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene pushed the Gulf of Mexico into tens of thousands of living rooms along Florida’s west coast, a new storm is threatening a repeat. But this time, streets and yards and parks are filled with all of the detritus scraped from those flooded homes — fridges, cabinets, bookcases, drywall and lamps.