Hurricane Milton on Wednesday headed toward a potentially catastrophic collision along Florida’s west coast, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that extremists would face bleak odds of survival.
The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the prospect of widespread devastation after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center expects Milton, a monster Category 5 hurricane, to weaken through most of its approach, but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Milton’s center early Wednesday was about 360 miles (580 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph).
Meteorologists expected the storm to maintain hurricane strength as it crossed central Florida on Thursday on its way east toward the Atlantic Ocean. The exact path of the hurricane remains uncertain, with meteorologists Tuesday evening pushing its projected path slightly south of Tampa.
Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida’s highways ahead of the storm, but time to evacuate was running out on Wednesday. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that storm surges of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) in her city were forecast to be deep enough to swallow an entire house.
“If you’re in it, this is the coffin you’re in,” Castor said.
Milton targets communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helen flooded streets and homes in West Florida along its devastating path that left at least 230 people dead across the South.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top political, economic and current affairs news, headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, streets were still filled Tuesday with piles of furniture, clothes, books, appliances and other trash hauled from damaged homes. .
Many of the homes remained vacant, but accountant and art collector Scott Joyner remained on the second floor of the New Orleans-style home he built 17 years ago. Carpenter said bull sharks were swimming through the flooded streets, and a neighbor had to be rescued by boat when Helen passed by and flooded the first floor of his home.
“Having access to water is a blessing, but it is very deadly,” Najjar said.
Joyner said he intends to make another run and beat Milton, despite the risks.
Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders in 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to US Census Bureau estimates.
Officials warned that anyone staying behind should fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives trying to rescue at the height of the storm.
In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers who were waiting in a long line for gas on Tuesday said they had no plans to evacuate.
“I think we’ll just hang in there and, you know, we’ll come down hard on it,” said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. “We’ve got the shutters. The house is ready. So this is kind of the final piece of the puzzle.”
The others didn’t take any chances after Helen.
On Anna Marie Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell collected his father’s ashes and was trying to hold his 9-year-old cat, Mackenzie, as he prepared to leave Tuesday. Helen left him with thousands of dollars in damage when his house flooded. He feared Milton would take the rest.
“I’m still in shock from the first one, and here comes the second round,” Purcell said. “I just have a pit in my stomach about this.”
State and local governments scrambled before the storm to remove piles of debris left behind by Helen, fearing that the coming hurricane would turn loose debris into flying missiles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed more than 300 dump trucks that removed 1,300 loads of debris.
In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed offshore. Yucatan Governor Joaquin Diaz said that power lines, lamp posts and trees were downed near the coast, and some small structures with thatched roofs were destroyed. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Spencer reported from Fort Myers Beach. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson and Kate Payne in Tampa contributed to this report. Frieda Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale; Ross Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Seth Bornstein in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
