Time is short to evacuate for Hurricane Milton. And, EPA mandates lead pipe removal

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Millions of people on Florida’s west coast are getting ready for Hurricane Milton, which is anticipated to make landfall late tonight. This storm is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. Milton is currently a dangerous Category 5 hurricane with 160-mile-per-hour winds and a storm surge that could reach as high as 15 feet in some areas along the coast between Fort Myers and Tampa Bay.

AFP via Getty Images

• 🎧 As the state continues to clean up from Hurricane Helene, meteorologists and emergency managers are warning that the impacts of Hurricane Milton will be worse, NPR’s Greg Allen tells Up First. National Hurricane Center director Mike Brennan has urged people to evacuate early, warning that buildings could wash away and exit routes could get cut off. Allen, who is just outside of Tampa, spoke with Edward Vielmette, who has survived multiple hurricanes. Vielmette says he might see 10 feet of water in his home, but ultimately has chosen not to leave. When Milton makes landfall it is projected to be at least a major Category 4 hurricane with 125-mile-per-hour winds.
• ➡️ Life Kit has a roundup of expert guidance on hurricane preparedness, from dealing with power outages to what to do if your home is flooded.
• ➡️ Click here to follow the latest local updates on Milton.

Over a dozen states are suing TikTok, alleging that the app harms teen mental health because it's intentionally designed to keep young people engaged. The attorneys general seek to compel TikTok to change product features that they argue are manipulative and harmful to teens. The suits also request that courts impose financial penalties on the company.

• 🎧 Internal TikTok communication reveals that one staffer said the app has a “slot machine effect” on young people, NPR’s Bobby Allyn reports. Features such as the app’s beauty filters can increase body-image issues, anxiety and depression, the states say. They also allege that kids have been using the app’s live-streaming feature in inappropriate ways comparable to a “virtual strip club.” TikTok will be fighting back in 14 separate courtrooms over these suits.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that the lead pipes providing water to around nine million homes across the U.S. need to be removed within 10 years. EPA administrator Michael Regan says that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water, and its consumption is especially harmful to children. Ten years ago, the Flint water crisis brought attention to lead levels in water. Since then, some locations have swapped out their pipes for copper ones.

• 🎧 NPR’s Pien Huang says lead pipes remain in every state, and homes built before 1986 may possibly rely on them. Chicago has around 400,000 lead pipes — the most out of any city. The EPA originally gave the city 40 years to replace all of its pipes. After advocates pushed back, the EPA tightened up the final ruling to around 25 years.

We, the voters

NPR is visiting six key swing states that will likely decide this year’s historic election. This week, Morning Edition is in Michigan to listen to voters about what matters to them and how that will affect their vote.

Americans across the country have begun voting, but many are still convinced that the last presidential election was stolen from them. NPR’s Leila Fadel recently visited a small community just outside of Detroit. At a meeting of America First, she asked attendees if they believed this year’s election would be fair. Everyone except three people said no, expressing a lack of trust in the process. Despite their doubts, they all indicated that they would still be voting. The next morning, Fadel visited a civics class where a voting demonstration took place. She spoke with election workers about their feelings of safety going into this election. Here is what they all had to say as they voiced their concerns.

Picture show

For years, Agbogbloshie was one of Africa's largest e-waste processing sites, receiving 15,000 tons of discarded electronics like phones and computers each year. Many Western media outlets portrayed the site as a public health and environmental tragedy, with toxic chemicals leaching into the water and poisoning the air. But that's not the whole story. A new collaborative photojournalism project called "E-Waste in Ghana: Tracing Transboundary Flows" aims to capture both the positive and negative aspects of e-waste.

• 📷 See photos of the vast dumping ground and learn about the people who make a living off of it.

3 things to know before you go

1. Researchers found that two organisms similar to jellyfish called comb jellies can fuse their bodies and become one, with a shared nervous and digestive system. This finding has implications for animal regeneration and immune systems.
2. Over 250 companies, universities, labor groups and other organizations like Amazon, the NHL, and United Airlines are joining the push to reduce drug overdose deaths. They’ve committed to providing free doses of the medication naloxone, also known as Narcan, which can rapidly reverse most fentanyl-opioid overdoses.
3. Vice President Harris presented yesterday a proposal on The View to expand Medicare coverage to help pay for home health care aides for seniors. The proposal is aimed at the "sandwich generation," who are responsible for taking care of both their aging parents and their kids.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.