Milton strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Monday as Florida braced for what could be its largest evacuation in seven years as the storm heads toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando.
Hurricane Milton developed into a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph) over the southern Gulf of Mexico with increasing storm surge, a hurricane watch in parts of Florida and a hurricane warning issued for the Mexican coast, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Florida’s storm-ravaged Gulf Coast is expected to hit less than two weeks before Hurricane Helen arrives. While forecast models vary widely, the most likely track suggests Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
That would largely avoid other Southeastern states hit by Hurricane Helen, which caused catastrophic damage that stretched from Florida to the Appalachians, and whose death toll rose Sunday to at least 230 people.
The center said that the Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for the Yucatan Peninsula from Celestun to Rio Lagartos.
About 7 million people were urged to evacuate Florida in 2017 as Hurricane Irma reached the state. The exodus has choked highways, led to hours-long lines at gas stations that still have fuel, and left evacuees frustrated and, in some cases, vowing never to evacuate again.
Based on lessons learned during Irma and other previous storms, Florida is providing emergency fuel for gas vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, said in a news conference Sunday.
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“We look at every potential location that could potentially house someone, as we refer to them in emergency management, as a last resort,” Guthrie added.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen where Milton will be hit, it is clear the state will be hit hard.
“I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have significant impacts at this point,” he said.
“You have time to prepare — all day, all day Monday, maybe all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place,” DeSantis said. “If you are on the west coast of Florida, the barrier islands, assume you will be asked to leave.”
With Milton reaching hurricane status, this is the first time the Atlantic has been hit by three simultaneous hurricanes after September, according to Colorado State University hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach. There were four simultaneous hurricanes in August and September.
The St. Petersburg-Tampa Bay Area is still working to clean up extensive damage left by Helen and the powerful storm surge. Twelve people died when Hurricane Helen inundated the coast, with the worst damage occurring along the narrow 20-mile (32 km) chain of barrier islands that stretches from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
DeSantis expanded his emergency declaration Sunday to include 51 counties and said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruptions, making sure they have enough food and water to last a week and are ready to hit the road.
“We are preparing … for the largest evacuation we have seen, probably since 2017, Hurricane Irma,” Guthrie said.
People who live in homes built after Florida strengthened rules in 2004, who don’t rely on continuous electricity and who aren’t in evacuation zones should probably avoid the roads, Guthrie said.
All Pinellas County classes and school activities in St. Petersburg are preemptively closed Monday through Wednesday as Milton approaches. Officials in Tampa have opened all city garages for free to residents hoping to protect their cars from floodwaters, including electric cars. Vehicles must be left on the third floor or higher in each garage.
DeSantis said up to 4,000 National Guard troops were helping state crews clear the wreckage, and he directed Florida crews sent to North Carolina in Helen’s wake to return to prepare for Milton.
“All available state assets are being marshaled … to assist in debris removal,” DeSantis said. “We go 24-7…all hands on deck.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deane Criswell defended her agency’s response to the hurricane’s devastation after false Republican claims, amplified by former President Donald Trump, created a wave of misinformation across devastated communities.
“This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people, and it’s really a shame that we put politics before helping people,” Cresswell told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. She said that created fear and mistrust among residents against the thousands of FEMA employees and volunteers on the ground throughout the Southeast.
Despite this, Creswell said the agency is already preparing for Milton, before it becomes clear exactly where the storm will move across the Florida peninsula.
Federal disaster aid has exceeded $137 million since Hurricane Helen struck more than a week ago, one of the largest mobilizations of personnel and resources in modern history, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Sunday.
About 1,500 active duty troops, more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and nearly 7,000 federal workers were deployed to ship more than 14.9 million meals, 13.9 million liters (3.6 million gallons) of water, 157 generators, and 505,000 pieces of cloth. , along with approving more than $30 million in housing and other types of assistance for more than 27,000 families, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the White House and the Department of Defense.
More than 800 people unable to return home are staying in housing provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and 22 shelters are still housing nearly 1,000 people as mobile feeding operations continue to assist survivors. The response to the Helen disaster will not stop during Milton and beyond, because FEMA has the capacity to address multiple disasters at once, the agency said.
“My administration is sparing no resources to support families as they begin their path to rebuilding,” President Joe Biden said. “We will continue to work alongside local and state leaders — regardless of political party and regardless of how long it takes.”
