Florida: Residents in Florida are urgently completing their emergency preparations or evacuating as Hurricane Milton currently classified as a category five hurricane approaches landfall near the densely populated Tampa Bay area.
Milton boasts destructive winds reaching up to 165 mph (270 km/h). It is anticipated to make landfall with full intensity on the night of October 9th, just two weeks after the state faced the severe impacts of Hurricane Helene.
Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said the storm could be one of Florida’s worst in a century. President Biden also warned people in Florida to leave their homes as a “matter of life and death” while the state undertakes its largest evacuation effort in years.
Biden told the Florida residents to, “Evacuate now, now, now.”
The White House cancelled Biden’s planned visit to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for Milton and ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene.
Governor Ron DeSantis said that, Florida had prepared dozens of shelters outside of evacuation zones to help house residents left stranded in the wake of the ‘monster’ storm. Long queues at petrol stations formed in south Florida, as some stations began running out of fuel.
DeSantis said that petrol was being trucked to stations, and electric vehicle charging stations also were deployed along roadways to ease the evacuation.
Less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, struck the southeastern region, resulting in at least 225 fatalities and leaving hundreds more unaccounted for.
In Florida alone, 14 deaths were reported, and as Hurricane Milton approaches, 51 out of 67 counties are under emergency warnings.
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has cautioned residents to prepare for strong winds that could cause debris from Hurricane Helene to become airborne. Rainfall amounts could reach up to 15 inches (38 cm), while coastal regions might experience storm surges between 10 and 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters).
Hurricanes are classified by wind speed, with category three and above deemed major storms due to their potential for significant damage and loss of life, according to the National Weather Service.
Counties in Florida began issuing evacuation orders earlier this week in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, leading to the suspension of tolls on roads throughout western and central Florida. School closures were initiated in several counties, and airports in Tampa and Orlando announced that they would halt flight operations until the storm passes.
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