People across Florida received notice Sunday that Milton, currently just a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico, could quickly intensify into a major hurricane before a mid-week storm-swept Gulf Coast hit.
Tropical Storm Milton was centered about 860 miles (1,385 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, early Sunday, moving east at five mph (seven kilometers per hour) with maximum sustained winds. 60 mph (95 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. He said.
“Milton is moving slowly but is expected to strengthen quickly,” the center said. “There is growing confidence that a powerful hurricane with life-threatening risks will impact parts of Florida’s west coast around the middle of this week.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen where Milton will hit, it’s clear Florida will be hit hard — “I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have significant impacts on this.” a point.”
“You have time to prepare — all day, all day Monday, and probably all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place,” the governor said. “Know your evacuation zone – there will be mandatory and voluntary evacuations.”
DeSantis said up to 4,000 National Guard troops were helping the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation remove the debris, and he declared a state of emergency in 35 counties before Milton. He said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption.
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“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 devastation caused by Hurricane Helen 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 it will move across the Florida peninsula this week. “We’re working with the state there to understand what their requirements are, so we can put those requirements in place before they make landfall,” she said.
The hurricane center said Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system’s progress. Heavy rain is expected on Sunday ahead of the storm itself, and will then likely combine with Milton’s rain to drench Florida’s waterways and streets, where forecasters said up to a foot (30 cm) of rain could fall in some places until… Wednesday night.
“There is an increased risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts over portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday,” the center said. “Residents in these areas should make sure they have their own hurricane plan, and follow any Advice provided by local officials, and check back for forecast updates.”
The Atlantic hurricane season is getting more active, as rescuers in the southeastern United States continue to search for unaccounted-for people in the wake of Hurricane Helen, which left a death toll and catastrophic damage stretching from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
Hurricane Kirk weakened to a Category 2 hurricane in the open Atlantic early, with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), bringing large surf and “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” to Bermuda and north. Along the coasts of the United States and Canada. The center said. Hurricane Leslie was also moving northwestward over the open Atlantic Ocean, with winds of 85 mph (140 kph) but posing no threats to land.
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