Countdown to devastating Hurricane Milton's landfall in Florida
Hundreds of citizens took to the roads to flee to safety. The National Weather Service warned that "this is an extremely life-threatening situation" throughout the peninsula.
Hurricane 'Milton' forced massive evacuations
Powerful Hurricane Milton gathered strength on its Atlantic track as millions of Floridians prepare for landfall late Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
Authorities called for hurried preparations, from tagging animals in case they stray during the storm to securing homes with sandbags and wooden boards and even taking the road to safer areas. In the final hours of the countdown.
And all this as repair efforts were just beginning in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. In anticipation of the second onslaught of heavy winds, rain and flooding in less than two weeks, the state Division of Emergency Management announced it was preparing for the largest evacuation since 2017.
Milton reached Category 5 on Tuesday, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Forecasters expect it to make landfall on the West Coast as a Category 4, with winds in excess of 100 mph, and will exit the peninsula along the East Coast and be downgraded to a Category 1 between Thursday night and Friday morning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the cyclone will produce flooding of more than 10 feet (three meters) in areas of west and central Florida. Hurricane force winds, it predicts, will extend inland across the peninsula. Heavy rains will also result in flooding in urban and riverine areas, with the areas where the two converge being the most dangerous.
"This is an extremely life-threatening situation," the NWS warned those in the areas under alert. "Preparations to protect life and propery, including being ready for long-duration power outages, should be rushed to completion."
Know the evacuation zones
There they can consult by typing an address or searching on a map. The risk of an area is quantified on a scale from A to F, the first being the most vulnerable and dangerous.
The website also has information on where to find shelters and distribution sites for resources such as water, as well as recommendations for protecting the home.
"A matter of life and death"
As Milton approaches, more and more businesses, schools, parks and airports are announcing the closure of their operations. While those doors are closing, shelters are opening in buildings such as schools, religious and public centers, and Airbnb properties, which made free housing available to those affected.
The massive evacuations have left images of traffic jams on the state's main roads:
The authorities suspended tolls and opened roadsides to speed up self-evacuation, and announced free transportation services for those unable to do so by their own means.
Governor Ron DeSantis reminded, while the window to evacuate was still open, that there are "multiple shelters in every county," so there is no need to drive "hundreds of miles." DeSantis announced a state of emergency for 51 counties.
President Joe Biden, who said he was working closely with the governor, issued an emergency declaration for Florida earlier in the week. This Tuesday, Biden urged to listen to the instructions of local authorities and asked to evacuate while there was still time left: "It is a matter of life or death."
Biden also assured during the week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sufficient resources to face this new natural catastrophe. His remarks come days after the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, announced that the agency lacked sufficient funds to face the hurricane season.
The Biden-Harris Administration has come under fire in recent days for announcing that it will send $157 million to Lebanon, forgetting the victims of the two powerful hurricanes, and for earmarking FEMA money for illegal immigrants.
Tampa Bay, facing its worst catastrophe in 100 years
At this hour, it is estimated that it will land in Tampa, or a little to the north or south. The latest forecasts place it between Tampa and Sarasota. However, Governor DeSantis warned those in the vicinity that the center of the cyclone could move and arrive in the country at other coordinates, as has happened on other occasions. "There's a lot of uncertanty."
Experts say it will be the worst hurricane to hit the area in 100 years since the last major hurricane in 1921.
"If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're gonna die," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. "Hurricane Helene was a "wake-up call," but Milton could be "literally catastrophic," she warned.
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