Hurricane 'Milton': Florida braces for new impact while still recovering from 'Helene'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 51 counties to prepare for the arrival of a new hurricane expected to hit midweek in communities that are still dealing with the damage from Helene.

The Sunshine State was hit by Helene just over a week ago. Repair work is underway as the state prepares for the next storm: Hurricane Milton. The governor ordered a rush to clear debris in areas ravaged by Helene's heavy rain, winds and flooding. "We will continue staging state assets to prepare for efficient search and rescue, power restoration, and roadway clearing,” DeSantis said on social media. 

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Milton will gain strength over the next few hours until it makes landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. The impact, however, will begin to be felt even sooner. The NHC warned of rain and flooding on Sunday and Monday.

"Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches, with localized totals up to 12 inches, are expected across portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night," the weather service reported. "This rainfall brings the risk of flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with minor to moderate river flooding."

Accelerating preparations

"I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now," said Kevin Guthrie, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director. He also "highly" recommended that they evacuate and added that the state is organizing "for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma," estimated at more than 6 million residents.

DeSantis explained that "there will be voluntary and mandatory evacuations in effect in a number of communities". To find out if they are in an area with evacuation orders, citizens can visit the official Know Your Zone page. However, the governor warned those living on the west coast and barrier islands, "Just assume that you likely are going to be called upon to evacuate."

Counties such as Pinellas opened areas for residents to scavenge sandbags, although they acknowledged it was too early to anticipate the impact of Milton. "Residents with sandbags from Hurricane Helene are encouraged to reuse them."

Lack of federal preparedness for hurricane season

The NHC is also monitoring two other hurricanes: Kirk and Leslie. Both are in the Atlantic and are not expected to make landfall throughout the next week, although experts are urging caution in the midst of hurricane season.

The imminent arrival of Milton and the possibility of others like it following has caused great concern, especially since Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacks the necessary funds to get through the remainder of the season after Helene.

It also coincides with a series of questioning over FEMA's management of resources and processes, including from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Matt Gaetz. Gaetz sent a letter to Mayorkas regarding "critical missmanagement issues," including the fact that hundreds of Department of Defense agents had been deployed in North Carolina, one of the hardest-hit states, and have been waiting on instructions from the agency.